The Legend of the Winged Saber
by UltimateKnight
Summary: There's whispers about rebelling against the royal family for reasons unknown to the King and his daughter. Things turn for the worse when Princess Amy's kidnapped by a mysterious hedgehog who's high on the king's death list. Find out the mystery behind this unknown hedgehog and why he's out for blood. [Sonamy]
1. Cloaked In Black

**Chapter 1: Cloaked In Black  
**

"So you see," said the Royal Advisor, moving his hands as he spoke, "the King will want you at his side during this important gathering today."

"Couldn't there be one day where I wasn't caught up in this political business for once?" The pink princess asked. "It's not like my presence makes any difference."

The Advisor only shook his head.

"I understand.." She grumbled softly as she folded her arms in frustration.

"The King is doing this to keep your people happy." The man assured.

 _Her people._ The young princess stood still as her Advisor continued on about the duty of her father, and, eventually, ramble on about her duty. Amy Rose is the princess of her father's land. Land that stretched as far as Amy knew. She's known little about her kingdom. Only that thousands of villagers she ruled over and how vast it supposedly was.

The Kingdom of Ocovia. A beautiful and lush kingdom where people come to start a new life. It was bright and so energetic and in no signs of decreasing in population. Actually, it seemed to be growing day by day. While Amy thought of the growth as a positive, her father, King Andriet, saw it more as an opportunity for more trouble to boil over. Why he thought like this, Amy was not entirely sure. But it could be because of _him._

No, there has not been much trouble when it comes to violence in the village. However, Andriet did take notice of some villagers making a big fuss whenever he made a huge decision or something else political. That hardly bothered the king, but one thing bothered Andriet more than anything: _him._

Someone dwelled in his kingdom that deeply despised the king. He caused ruckus and even was able to convince a small part of town to rebel against the royal family a few years back on more than one occasion. His intentions still wonder the King's mind.

 _I wonder who he is,_ the pink hedgehog asked herself.

Amy looked at her Advisor, who was still letting his mouth run in and out her ears, "John, may I ask?"

"Yes, princess." He answered politely, sliding the changing divider in front of her, "After you get dressed. It won't be long until the King calls for you."

"Hmph." Amy huffed and grabbed her dress from the hook on the wall. Taking it, she, with the help of her ladies, carefully assisted the princess in the dress. It was a long red dress, with sleeves that ran to her knuckles, made of the finest silk in the land. The dress was a Bateau and laid comfortably on her shoulders and curved below the collar bone. On the top of her neckline a pattern of white jewels was uniform. Amy also wore a jeweled belt to go with her whole attire. Finally, she brushed her short hair to be rid of the bed nest that rest on her head from her sleep last night.

"Okay," Amy twirled in her dress, satisfied. "So about my question." John nodded and moved his hands frantically.

"Yes, yes. Go on, your highness."

"Well, Father is so busy concerning this gathering of the people," John nodded again, slightly signing as if to say, _Okay what's your point_. "Could he be doing this to find that-" She paused, thinking of the right words to say, "mysterious one?" She muttered, putting more silence in the last two words.

John simply stood there, looking at the princess, probably lost in deep thought.

The 'Mysterious One' Amy's only heard stories about. The one who's been causing the kingdom to be in uproar over her father. She had asked her father before why this one person in particular was fighting against him, but the King would usually just say, _"Oh, it's not your place."_

 _What does that even mean_ , Amy asked herself. She looked back to her advisor, who still stood there, unanswered. Amy was about to snap him out of his glance, but John quickly collected himself. He jolted his head and placed his attention back to his princess.

"Ehm, it's not my place."

"And why not?" Amy questioned, raising her voice slightly.

"It's just not my place with my ranking."

"Ranking means nothing to me." She quickly answered, staring him dead in his eyes.

He looked at her jaded eyes, seeing nothing but truth, but also curiosity. He swallowed hard as sweat began to built up.

"Princess, I-I can't." John looked away from her, rubbing the back of his head and sweat from his head. "I can't spread royal affairs. The King will have my head." Amy sighed at this, looking toward her window.

"Yeah, okay. That will be all, Johnathan." She whispered, disappointed at his words and turning toward her window to let her mind drift elsewhere. The young advisor tried to say something, but was immediately was cut off by a royal guard opening the door.

"Pardon me, princess." The dark knight apologized.

He was a hedgehog who's hair was raven in color and red streaks along the edges of his prominent quills. They bent outward giving the presence of sharpness and danger. His eyes, though he wore a mask over his face, glowed a bright crimson red like his highlights. These eyes he wore never were soft. They held such stern and seriousness that even made the King uneasy at times. He was the princess's personal guard: Shadow.

Amy looked to him, gesturing him inside. Shadow walked in on her exact gesture and stood a few feet from her. His body was stiff and stood boldly. "My lady, the King would like your company." His voice was deep, almost sounding like he was demanding her to go see the King on his orders and his alone, not her fathers.

"Yeah, I suppose it's already time for my father's gathering." She sighed, cupping her hands together and holding them to her stomach. "Let's go then."

Shadow escorted Amy out of her chambers down to the halls of the castle. The halls were long and tall with vast portraits of past royalty members who once ruled the land.

Amy looked at each one studying them as she walked. Nothing was new to these portraits. They were all the same ones she had seen since she was a kid. But every time she did walk through these halls she always looked for the portrait of her mother. Amy couldn't help but dwell in the past quite often when she remembered her mother. Her mother brought her so much happiness and joy in the world even before she was a princess. Her smile and laughter brought her so much jubilation and glee while living in this castle. But after she died, everything changed. Her father changed.

Amy shook her head, trying to forget her thought, and looked in front of her. Her knight walked with heavy steps and the metal guards on his shoes ringing through the halls. The silence and only being able to hear the sounds of metal and swords would drive anyone mad. She had asked for long carpets to be placed in the halls to help with the 'emptiness' feeling she got, but still has yet to be done. That was two years ago, and she decided to leave it alone and let it be after months of nothing happening in her request.

"Now before we go barging in the room, you know the protocol?" John reminded.

"Yes, Johnathan."

"And it would be?" He waited for her answer.

"Smile, look pretty, and don't speak unless the King demands it." She flatly replied, holding nothing back in terms of sass. John nodded, happy with her answer, but annoyed with how it was said.

"May I?" The dark hedgehog spoke, making both Amy and John turn their heads.

Shadow rarely spoke, but whenever he did, everyone was always careful to listen. His words were never passed by any ears in the castle. Amy's known her guard only about 3 years, but in all those years, he rarely spoke to her. It was possible that he just thought himself too low to speak to her. After all, knights are only trained to protect the royal family. He must have deemed it unnecessary to say much words to his princess. Amy could respect that, but she could only imagine the things the mysterious knight could've said in those three years of knowing her.

He was a perplexing one indeed.

Amy nodded for him to speak. "As a princess, there's much more to it than smiling, looking pretty and doing what is expected of you." Amy raised her brow, Shadow continued. "As a princess, and one day a queen, you are to be there for _your_ people."

"I know that."

"But you don't do that duty."

"Excuse me?" Amy held her hands in a tight fist. "Are you saying that I don't do my duty well?" She snapped at him.

"I'm not saying anything." He argued, and looked back at her, lifting his mask to get a better look in her eyes. Amy stopped and froze at this action. "I am saying that you can either be a princess who does big things and wins the love of her people, like her mother, or she can be a puppet that lives to be stringed and controlled." He nearly spat out the last two words: _stringed_ and _controlled_.

Amy didn't dare to move as he spoke. His words were sharp and it thickened the room's atmosphere. She struggled to breathe, but gained her footing as she squeezed her hands together, breathing slowly. Shadow stood motionless, watching her soft eyes become vulnerable. He wasn't trying to frighten her but evoke her to be more than just another princess. He wanted the young girl to become someone he wouldn't want to mess with.

John held her shoulder and looked to the dark hedgehog. "I think we should hurry along to the King, no?" He pressed Amy to walk to the double door dawn the hall.

Shadow watched them leave and followed behind them.

"Don't listen to him, Princess. You do a great job." John proudly stated.

 _But he was right_ , Amy's thoughts echoed in her mind. Ever since her mom died she's done nothing but follow her fathers' orders. He told her what to do, what to say, and when to say it. There was no ifs, ands, or buts about it. She followed his orders like a puppy to its master. Like a puppet on strings. She couldn't help it. She lost so much confidence since she lost her mother. So much had changed in that instant. So much changed in a single night...

She remembered it like it was a dream. Though, you could more so think this dream would be a nightmare. One that never ever would leave Amy's mind. She was so young and so innocent. To have her mother ripped away from her as a kid, it left nothing but scars. Deep scars that refuse to heal until she knew the truth behind her mothers passing.

Amy shook her head and look back to John, who continued his usual rambling.

"-As a princess you can only do so much as your father rules. It's just how things are." He observed the pink hedgehog, who looked a little lost in his speech. "Eh, I guess you're thinking too much to listen to me." He gave her a quick smile before opening the doors to the throne room. "I'll see you after."

"Yeah, see you soon." Amy gave him a warm smile and walked in the room, with Shadow following close behind, but stopped when John grabbed his arm. Shadow looked at his arm and back at the advisor, confused, but almost insulted by his touch.

"Shadow, watch what you say to her." He warned, still gripping on the knight's arm.

"…I'm trying to help her."

"What your doing is going beyond your boundary. You are a knight. Nothing more."

Shadow gripped his other arm on the handle of his sword, but slowly eased his tight grip. Seeing the advisor in no way a threat to him. Just giving an honest conversation to the dark one.

"Don't talk to her like you're over her and **don't** talk about her mother. You know how the King feels about that." He keeps eye contact with the hedgehog, making sure Shadow got the message.

"I get it." Shadow stated and glared as he moved his arm from John's grip.

Amy's eyes wondered the room as she stood beside her fathers' throne. So many guests were crowding in one after another. There was guest who dressed so high class that the dresses could have been mistaken for giant colored bowls with jewels embedded on them. Some other guess dressed in normal attire dresses. Some even house dresses or working dresses that still had stains on them. The men also dressed in either high or low-class clothing. Some chatter started among the village friends and family. The kingdom was full of people who knew one another in various ways. It was so full of life. That showed especially tonight with the smiles and the shaking of hands.

"Strong community." The King spoke to his daughter, looking forward at the crowd. "It's this that helps keep our kingdom strong and full of loyalist." He rubbed his chin as he spoke.

Amy nodded as she listened to her father.

"Today, Amy, I want to discuss with the people about expanding the kingdom."

"Again?"

"Yes. The more we expand, the more resources we can use for our growing villages."

"I thought you said expanding brought more threats, father?"

"It does." He looked around the crowd of people, scanning each and every one of them like a lion to his prey. His eyes felt like a knife at people's throats as he gazed at them.

Amy looked at him baffled, raising her brow. "I don't understand. If you want less threats, wouldn't you not want to expand?"

He thought, but slowly started to laugh through a fake smile. "Oh, daughter, you have much to learn." The King sat up so he was sitting up straight. "In order to find the _threat,_ I have to shrink _his_ areas of hiding places." He said coldly and with a distant stare in the crowd, rubbing his hands together.

Amy looked at the crowd and back to her father. _He said it again_ , she thought. _He mentioned him_..

Amy's mind wondered. Could this meeting be just to find the man who's trying to rebel against him. The one that's creating problems for the family? If so, why? Why is her father putting up so much of his energy in finding this guy? There must be some reason.

As far back as she knew, the King has been on the hunt to find this mysterious _He_. She can even vaguely remember her father going out of his way to find the guy since she was younger. Though she still had no idea why, she wished she knew the answer. That's when her father started acting different. Becoming more distant and talking to Amy less and less as the years pass. Now, she barely even knew her own father. What she did know, was that he was hungry for this mysterious man's blood.

Andriet finally stood up and walked in front of his throne. He fixed his shirt and pulled his light pink bangs back out of his eyes. He took in a breath, and lightly sighed as he looked to the crowd. "My people, please if I may." He announced himself and watched the crowd as their attention moved to him. "I thank you for your attendance today."

Amy looked to her side, seeing her knight stand behind her in his guarding position. She gave him a warm smile and turns back to face the crowd as her father made his typical introduction.

"Princess, are you okay?" The knight spoke out, speaking at a hush tone.

"Hm? Oh, yes of course."

"I apologize for what I said earlier. It was out of my boundaries."

"Shadow, don't worry about that." Amy led her eyes to the stone floor. "You were right anyway. I do act like a puppet."

Shadow said nothing and turned his attention back to the King. "The more we expand this lush kingdom, the more opportunities we can create for you, the people of Ocovia." The king moved his arms as he spoke, getting the crowd on board with his plan. "Together, we can make this kingdom powerful and one to fear. No one can stand in our way!" He cheered as he held his hands out to his people, invitingly as though they were his own children.

The villagers spoke among themselves, nodding in agreement. The crowd cheered and applauded the King for another smart move on his part. More space, meant more opportunity for the villagers. Everyone seemed to be on board... Almost everyone.

A man cloaked in a black hooded cape moved among the crowd. His hood was as dark as the depths of Hell, keeping the wearers face darken. His ears had holes where they stuck out of the hood and the parts where the end of his quills would be, were slightly torn off. You could see hints of blue from his ears and tips of his quills. The cape covered half his face. Starting above his muzzle, dropping down above his ankles. His legs, from what could be seen, were covered in black leather material. His white gloves were tattered and worn, slightly stained with drops of blood. He wore bright red shoes that were covered in dry mud, golden buckles on the sides that barely shined in the light. Under the cape's material, the bottom half of a sword's holder could be seen hanging at his waist. He walked with heaviness and thick presence.

His eyes scanned among the crowd, unknowing of his presence. His cape moved swiftly to his movement, making the strange allusion of wings as he walked. He pushed one person from his sight of view, and soon enough, all eyes were on this stranger.

People pointed and stared at the mysterious hedgehog. Some started to talk amongst themselves. "Is that.." One asked.

"It's _him_." Another said.

"No way!" Another shouted in disbelief, "How did he get pass the guards?!"

The King's eyes wondered at the chatter the crowd started. Looking for the source of the commotion, his eyes gazed at the sight of _him_. He saw the rebellious one he was looking for. The one that's been causing a ruckus for five long years.

"You're that hedgehog.." The King said in disbelief, but surely not surprised. King Andriet had planned this meeting for months, hoping to be able to stir enough tension to get the hooded hedgehog under his own roof. In his den. He's waited many years to see this man again.

The hooded stranger directed his eyes deep on the king. He stood with pride but fueled with pure anger. Andriet saw this, but only smirked as he watched the hooded man stand completely still. The tension between them was strong and heavy.

Amy's attention went to her father and followed his direction to the mystery man. "Shadow.. Is that..?"

"It's you!" Shadow spat out at the intruder, lunging toward him with his sword. As quick as Shadow charge, the hooded hedgehog swiftly pulled his sword from its case, blocking Shadow's blow without even taking his eyes off the King.

Amy watched in horror as the hedgehog had drawled out a long-curved sword. It wasn't a thin sword, this one was thicker, but its blade wasn't long like a normal curved saber. This one must've been custom.

The two swords clashing made an ear pitching nose and made the Princess shield her ears, gritting her teeth in the process. The king barked orders at his dark knight, making callous comments that made the crowd fearful and run out in panic. "Kill him!" The King barked at Shadow, "I want him alive so I can kill him!"

Keeping his full focus on the intruder, Shadow gripped harder onto the handle of his sword and yanked it back to his side. Charging at the stranger again, he held his sword above his head and swung the blade downward. Though, the hooded stranger had speed and cockiness on his side.

He jumped backwards, sliding against the cold slick surface, stopping himself with his free hand's grip on the floor. He looked up at Shadow, crimson eyes meeting emerald green ones.

"You shall lose your head for stepping foot on these grounds!" Shadow announced, making the other smirk in response.

The other hedgehog waited for Shadow's charge, which he predicted, jumping a few seconds just before he swung his sword once more. He pushed his feet off the floor and jumped on top of Shadow's head, throwing in a swift kick to the back of is head. Thus making Shadow's patience run on thin ice.

While he was distracted, the other hedgehog made a quick leap toward the princess.

"I-It's.." Amy stuttered and fell back into the stairs that lead to the throne. She watched him stand above her and looked into his light emerald eyes. His eyes met her jaded ones, and Amy, for a moment, could have swore she saw a softness to his eyes. Did he feel pity for her? No, she had to be seeing things in the heat of this moment.

Shadow, now realizing the situation at hand, turn himself and ran toward the princess. "Amy!" He held out his hands toward her, rushing in.

The hooded hedgehog, in one instantaneous move, held out his hand to Amy, shielding her eyes, and jabbed his sword behind him piercing Shadow through.

Amy could hear the sound of flesh meeting blade, and the dark hedgehog's quick gasps of sudden sharp pain. The hard drops of blood that dripped onto the floor rang in her ears. It was as if the whole thing happened in slow motion, even though she couldn't see it herself.. She waited, for what seemed like forever, and heard the loudest drop of Shadow's body hitting the ground. His blade meeting the same floor he laid on dropping with a loud CLANK CLANK, bouncing off the walls of the room.

Her eyes filled with tears, still unable to see the event that just took place. But she knew, somehow, she knew who this man was. Amy did not know what true fear was until right now, with this deadly man holding her and shielding her eyes from the evil he caused. If so, why? Why is he 'protecting' her from the sight. What is his motive here?

"You're.. You're.."

 _The Winged Saber_

* * *

 **ANNNNND There's the first chapter! Phew, that took up a lot of my time and it's 2 a.m. as I publish this chapter! Worth it though. Reviews are always welcome :-)**


	2. A Pig's Trouble

**Chapter 2: A Pig's Trouble**

Booming thunder roared in the air as the sky lit itself up in the darkness of the night. Bullets of water carried themselves below the earth, bouncing themselves off Amy's cheeks. It stung and made her face turn a light shade of red. She moved her eyes toward her kidnapper as he looked forward, dashing through the slick and heavy mud.

Never in her life could Amy have predicted she would ever be kidnapped. She had heard stories from her maids about royals being abducted by criminals. Looking back now, Amy did remember her mother telling her stories of being taken by outlaws and threatened if her family did not give them gold. That was many years ago, when Amy's mother was young and before she even met the King, who was a prince then. But this was different, it wasn't her mothers' stories that she listened to, this was real. Amy was actually being taken against her own will by some stranger. No, not a stranger, the Winged Saber.

Amy was petrified and unable to move from her holder's tight grip on her. As quick as he came, he took her and jumped through the castle's windows without even a second thought. It was bold, but stupidly dangerous. Amy could only imagine what her father's thinking at this moment.

 _We have to find her! That's my daughter. Gather the knights and hunt this outlaw!"_ Though, Amy knew better than to think of her father being, well, fatherly to her. He would never say something like that about her, at least, not in the state he's been in for a while. She knew he was more focused on the man who held her. She was the last thing on his mind and that was the sad truth.

The hooded one suddenly changed his pace, making Amy press harder into his chest as he ran at such incredible speeds. His feet lifted more mud in the air, making clods smack the girl in the face as he went. Amy spit mud out of her mouth and groaned as something hit her eye.

"H-Hey!" She shouted, hoping to grab his attention. "Slow down!" She frantically wiped the mud from her eyes.

He said nothing, not even acknowledge her at the moment. He simply kept his speed going, making sure he didn't lose any focus as he did so. He often scanned behind himself to check if any guards followed behind. Amy looked at his direction, seeing the king's knights riding on their horses, dead on their tails.

The chattering noise of the horse's hooves danced with the storm's wind. The knights held their swords to their sides, holding the reins with their other hand. The rain made it harder for the horses to keep up with the hedgehog's pace, but that was no excuse. They rode with such force and power, making passing villagers scurry inside their homes.

The hooded one smirked, loving a good chase. But even he wasn't going his natural speed. The rain, mixed in with the heavy mud, made it feel like he was trying to run through wet clay. Every step felt heavier than the last, but he had to keep going. He's been running from the royal family for this long, he wasn't about to just give up so easily.

"Let me go!" Amy finally started to fight him, kicking her feet like an angered child. "Do you know who I am?" She snapped, wanting to just be out of this mess entirely.

The male hedgehog scanned the village for any openings. His emerald eyes finally saw one and immediately went to it. He slowed himself, making the mud fly behind his feet as he skidded to a slight halt. The horsemen ran right by him, not noticing their mistake until it was too late. The hooded one chuckled and made a sharp turn toward a villager's home, slamming the door shut in the process.

Amy jumped, and her eyes adjusted to the sudden light change. The hedgehog kept dashing right through the cottage, breezing straight through the people who resided in the home. He jumped over the tables and made a run toward their window. A boy who lived here, saw the hedgehog and knowing him well, opened the window for him.

The hedgehog gave a quick nod to the kid, in respect, and made a dive out the window. He landed and slid across the wet sludge of a pig's pen. The small pink hogs shrieked in panic and ran to the opposite corner of the pen, away from the speedy hedgehog.

Amy quickly covered her nose at the stench. It burned her nose and made it feel like it was about to shrivel and fall off her muzzle. "Ugh!" She nearly barfed into her hands covering her mouth.

The male hedgehog looked back at the kid, who was motioning him to hurry along. "Go, quick! They'll be in here soon. I'll cover for you, Winged Saber." The young boy closed the windows and waved off to the village outcast.

The hedgehog gave him a slight nod and dashed away from the house, making his way in the bush.

After many long minutes, or what felt like long hours for the young princess, the rain finally resided. The trees of the deep forest dropped the rain's tears onto Amy's cheeks, causing her to suddenly blink. The fresh smell of the earth's aroma after it's cries, cooling the air as it did so. The ground was still wet, but not as bad as earlier. Amy was also very cold. Her clothes were completely soaked.

Amy looked to the one carrying her. He looked straight ahead and as blank as a new canvas. The capes hood kept his face darkened from her view. There was nothing for her to read off him other than his body language, but he seemed to show little there too.

"Hey, why don't you let me go so I can go back home-" She was quickly cut off.

"I **know** who you are." He said coldly, finally turning his attention to her and staring as deep as her soul went. This made the princess uneasy and squirm in his arms.

His voice was soft spoken, but it held a sharpness to it. Nothing like how Shadow spoke. This one held a higher tone from the dark knight, almost sounding like it was coming from a young teen. Amy was sure this was a much older man. He held himself like a man past the teen's years, but his voice spoke differently. Granted, she barely knew who he was, and he planned on keeping it that way.

Amy held her nose high, trying to find his eyes to look into them. "Then tell me, just who am I?"

He said nothing.

"Hey! I said-" She was suddenly dropped on the ground. "What are you.." Amy watched him as he looked about his surroundings. The hedgehog nodded and grabbed Amy's hands. "Hey!"

He kept silent and tied her hands together. Amy fought him, but her struggle wasn't too much for him to handle. It actually made him chuckle.

"What is so funny? This is not a laughing matter." She exclaimed, glaring at him as much as she could.

He said nothing and looked around. He searched the ground and started to gather sticks.

"Fine, then I'll do the talking, mister." She sat straight up as she spoke. "I know exactly who you are." He listened as she spoke. "You are the Winged Saber, an outcast of my kingdom. You do nothing but terrorized my family who do nothing but care for our people." The male hedgehog picked up more sticks, setting them up in a tiki-like fashion. Amy found his attitude disrespectful, but she continued. "You're just another one of those criminals who seek to destroy the monarchy." She spat out at him, making him turn his head back to her. She smirked to herself.

 _Got his attention finally._

"Amy Rose." He finally spoke as he sparked a flame, burning the sticks, not braking eye contact.

"What?"

"You are Amy Rose, daughter of King Andriet Rose and Athena Rose."

 _He… He knows my mother?_

"And from what I can guess, heh, your father must feed your ear from loose-ended information, princess."

"You don't know anything-"

"I know more than you think I know." His words were swift and cold. There was a long pause.

Amy looked at him, frustrated at the hedgehog. "Show me your face. I at least should know the man who will kill me."

"You're a demanding one, aren't you?" He chuckled at her words and moved Amy closer to the fire. Amy inched closer to his face, freezing him in place. "W-Wha.."

"Show me." She demanded.

The male hedgehog stood still, unable to process anything. He blinked and pushed her back with his finger. "As you wish, your majesty." He mockingly sang playfully, moving his hands to his hood. He gripped it for a second, hesitating. Amy noticed this but said nothing. He then slowly pulls down his hood, letting his long blue quills breathe and stretch out for her to see. His eyes were as green as she remembered earlier. They still held a softness to them through his stern stare. Finally, he pulled his fabric down from his muzzle, taking in the new breath of fresh air.

He certainly was a handsome hedgehog to Amy. In fact, her eyes almost grew half their size. She almost melted watching him take his attire off his head. But, something.. something about him looked so familiar. His eyes, the way his eyes glowed when he looked at her. Amy couldn't put her finger on it, but his face almost sparked a memory to her. But her memory seemed to be lost at the moment.

He smiled as he spoke. "My princess, I have no intent on killing you."

"Then.. Why did you kidnap me? Who are you?" She questioned, seeming suspicious of his sudden 'proper manners'.

He didn't speak.

"Oh no! You are not going silent on me again."

"Probably for the best," He commented, disappointing the girl, but she went on.

"What is your name? There is no way your name is Winged Saber"

"No, but it would be a cool name. Wouldn't it?" He joked as he poked a stick in the fire. "It's not my name." She waited, and he looked back at her, bowing his head slightly. "Call me Sonic."

"..Sonic.." She repeated softly. Nothing about that name seemed familiar. She had never met a Sonic before. It certainly was a unique name. If she actually did know him, she would've recognized a name like that in an instant. But that still didn't explain why he looked so familiar to her.

 _What was it.._

Sonic looked to the fire and gazed at it for a moment. The fire danced in his eyes, emerald green meeting the flames. Amy watched, unsure of the stranger's thoughts.

Amy's mind went back to the throne room. The sound of blades clashing and sparks spitting out against the metal weapons. Her father yelling for this hedgehog's head, and Sonic taking his sword through Shadow.

 _Shadow.._

He had risked his life for her, without even a single regard for his own well-being. While it was his duty, she couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible for letting it happen.

"Sonic…" Her face darkened. "Why did you hurt Shadow?"

He was taken back but seemed more confused at her question. "The black hedgehog, right? The one with those red eyes?" She nodded. "Well, I had to protect myself."

"But hurting him?"

"He attacked me."

"You attacked me!"

"It was either me or him!" He snapped back at her, silencing her.

"H-He was my friend…" She spoke while holding back her tears. "You just killed him without even.. Thinking about it. No second thought."

Sonic said nothing, feeling her words dig into his chest. But held a hard face.

"You kidnapped me for a reason, Sonic." She sniffed, not daring take her eyes off his. "Why?" She asked once more, but still getting nothing from him.

She's learned so much about him in this short time. He's stubborn and dangerous but had this weird side of himself where he jokes at random. It wasn't anything Amy was used to, but she could blame that at her time stuck in the castle. He was hiding secrets and Amy didn't like that. She already has her father being secretive. She doesn't need another. He took her for some reason, and she was going to get to the bottom of it, whether he told her or not.

"I get it, you don't want to kill me. What then?"

"The answers you seek will be answered when I say I want them to be." He flatly answered, not giving her the response she wanted. She huffed and kicked some mud in the air, but only made it fall into her lap. She shook and held her hands together as she felt the cold muck on her.

Sonic looked to his side. "You're freezing cold."

"Thank you for the obvious." He snickered, pulling out a bag from under his cape. He opened the leather bag and pulled out a dress.

Amy looked at him, a little bit weirded out that he even had a dress on himself.

"It's not what you think, okay."

"Oh yeah? Seems to me that you own women's clothing for some reason."

He smirked, shaking his finger in front of her. "Actually, I'll have you know that I snatched this for your convenience. After all, you can't go around with me dressing like an aristocrat."

"You say that as though I'm going to be stuck with you for a while."

"Bingo, princess! Guess there is some brains in the royal highness' head." Sonic smirked at the princess, tapping her forehead as he did so. She held her hands out, waiting for him to release her binds. Sonic grabbed a knife from under his glove.

"You had that on you the whole time?"

"Don't act surprised. After all, I'm just an outlaw. Right?" Sonic cut her binds and handed her the dress. Amy looked it over, seeing nothing too dazzling about it. It was something simple a peasant would wear in her kingdom. It had an undergarment for the dress, looking cream in color. The under garment had longer sleeves than the actual outer garment of the dress. The dress was light blue and made of decent wool material. It had sleeves that stopped just at the elbows. Around the waist, a simple brown belt could be worn to make the dress more accessible. Along with that, similar to Sonic, it came with a hooded cape. This one was brown and could be easily tied to the neck. It served more purpose to shield the face and hug the shoulder than to actually hide her appearance. To Sonic, it was enough to get her around without much trouble.

 _Anything is better than being cold and covered in mud._

"I hope you know how to put it on."

"I think I can handle it. Thank you!" Amy huffed and set the dress down, untying the dress from her back, but stopped. She looked back to Sonic, who watched as she did so. Amy's face went red. "D-Do you mind!?"

"Really? It's not even a big deal-"

Amy cut him off, shaking her fist furiously. "Sonic, you better look away." She warned.

"Okay, okay." Sonic sighed and turned himself around. His ears moved as she started about her changing process. He already had the thought of how long it would take to get her in the new dress. If he knew anything about the ridiculous fashion here, it's that women usually took the longest time to get ready. This was longer for higher class women, because they usually had more layers of clothing.

Sonic focused his gaze at the sky. It was still a dark shade of blue as thunder continued to roll by. He listened as water dropped off the leaves of the trees and make a gentle landing to the grass. The owls made their usual hooting sounds with the frogs and crickets chattering away. The popping of the fire dancing as it burned. It was actually relaxing for the moment.

Heavy foot steps echoed off the trees to Sonic's eardrums. His ears shot up, alerted at the sudden sound. He looked as he listened for the source of the noise. It stopped but would continue on. He heard the heavy breathing of horses and men slashing their swords at the bush. No doubt it was the knights, who somehow found their location.

Sonic cursed to himself. He should've been more careful. His thought went to the family, where the boy who helped him stayed. They probably tortured the poor child to squeeze any information he had about the Winged Saber. Sonic prayed that the boy was shown at least some mercy.

 **SNAP**

The sound of a twig made the blue hedgehog sprang into action, Sonic ran to the fire and stomped on it until it went dim. He pulled his hood back up and swung his bag over his shoulder.

 **SNAP**

The voices grew louder.

"We need to go."

"What?"

"We need to go!" Sonic repeated himself and turned back to Amy who still was getting the outer garment on. He didn't even let her react to seeing her half dressed as he began grabbing the side of the dress and yanking it up to her shoulders. Amy jumped as he quickly tied the back of her dress. He then flung the hood over her head and pushed her forward.

"S-Sonic..!"

"Just go." Sonic pressed her forward, running as fast as he could force the princess.

The knights scanned the forest area as the rain slid across their armor. Some rode on horses as they searched to catch some speed if they saw the outlaw, while others searched for foot prints on the ground. From the recent rain fall before, they expected to see any signs of tracks that would lead them somewhere. Instead, they were mostly going on a child's word. One that took the knights hours to get out of him.

Among the knights, their leader slashed his sword against the thick brush of the dense forest. If anyone was hiding here, they would be smart to hide and make camp where it was difficult to get to. While that was a smart move, it made the knight's work harder than it needed to be. But they pressed on.

After moments of frustration and trees smacking the brave knights, the leader finally mowed his way out of the bush to the opening he was looking for. He looked around the camp, instantly seeing all sorts of tracks. Not only that but he found cut rope and a red dress, similar to the one Amy wore.

The leader bent down and picked up the dress to examine it further. It was covered in mud. The smell of it made him gag. So far, the boy's description was true about the Winged Saber jumping in the pig's pen. Not only that, but the dress was the exact same one the princess wore before she was taken by the outlaw.

The leader clinched his fist, red eyes fuming with anger. "What did he do to you..." He asked himself as he gazed at the dimmed fire.

Another knight ran in front of him, huffing and catching his breath. He must've run all the way to him. "I-I found tracks. They went north." The younger knight pointed at the direction he described. "Shadow, shall we keep going?"

Shadow rose, gripping hard onto the dress as mud leaked from his knuckles. He held his arm on his chest, where he was recently wounded. "Send the men back to the castle and give the King a message: Shadow The Hedgehog will retrieve the princess and have the outlaw ready for the King's sword when he returns."

The knight looked at Shadow at a lost, shocked that he was daring to go alone after what happened back at the castle. It was rather embarrassing to be defeated by a peasant. How could the best knight go down to a rat? No, he had to do this solo. He had to capture the Winged Saber and gain what little dignity he had left.

"Sometimes, a knight has to get to the level of their prey to hunt them down."

* * *

 **Another chapter completed! And I must say, thanks for the reviews on chapter 1! It keeps me motivated and was just awesome to get feedback and reactions from y'all.**

 **I will be posting a new chapter either every Thursday, Friday or Saturday if my class schedule continues to be as smooth as it has been this week. This gives me enough time to proofread my writing before I post the next chapters. Some chapters may be posted earlier than others. It all just depends on the length of the chapters and my schedule. This Chapter I posted on Wednesday just in case the coming hurricane knocks my power out.  
**

 **Anywho, I had a lot of fun with this chapter, especially when it came to writing the characterization of Sonic and Amy. Also... My boi Shadow lives!**

 **Reviews are greatly appreciated! ;-)**


	3. Hard Memories

**Chapter 3: Hard Memories**

The night had been long and busy with nothing less than what the royal could manage. Today, as queen of my country, I had made important political decisions and prevented war. I felt victorious and my country was safe from another bloodshed and unnecessary war.

I look to the side to see my daughter, who was playing with her dolls. Her eyes were so full of life. It reminded me of myself when I was her age: innocent and pure.

Amy looked up from her dolls to me. She smiled, beaming with such joy. Her smile was brighter than the nightly moon. I wouldn't be surprised if the moon rose each night just to see a glimpse of her radiance.

My beautiful daughter. She was my moon and stars in the sky. She was everything that could be important in my life.

"Alright, sweetie." I spoke to her softly, kneeling down to the little one. "I think it's about time to sleep."

"But, Momma, I want to stay up longer." Her eyes begged.

"My dear, Amy, you can't expect to be a great queen one day if you're always tired." I picked her up as she yawned. "Besides, didn't you say you wanted to be as brave and strong as me one day?"

"Momma, you fought battles. I'm just a little girl."

"No, you're my daughter and you'll be even better than me." I kissed her head and carried her out my studies.

I walked down the lightly lit halls, humming to my daughter as I did so. Amy was sucking on her thumb as she slipped in and out of her sleep. I rubbed her back softly.

"You'll make a fine ruler indeed, even if your father doesn't think so, my daughter." I said silently.

I had finally turned Amy in for the night, singing her a quiet lullaby to drift her into pleasant dreams. She slept soundly, signaling me to escape the room before I accidentally woke her up.

I walk back down the halls, the candles seemingly to have dimmed down. Usually the servants blew them out for safety reasons. I suppose they decided to do so earlier tonight than usual. Usually they waited until I was asleep beside my husband, but I suppose they thought I was already in rest.

The halls were deadly quiet, with the eerie sound of the wind howling at the moon. It made some of the windows move, making an unnerving noise.

 _Perhaps another storm is out and about_ , I say to myself.

Though, something felt off from the usual night I walk from putting Amy in bed. I felt like… I was being watched.

I turn around, looking at the corners of the hall, but see nothing. No eyes seemed to be on me. No one seemed to be around. Not even a single sound of breathing, except my own. So, I turn back toward the direction of my bedroom and kept moving. And that's when I heard it.

The sound of something metal being drawn from a scabbard. I've heard that sound plenty of times whenever I went into battle, but here, in the middle of the night? No, something's not right.

I quickly turn back around, holding my hand over my chest. "Who's there?"

There was no answer. It made my stomach turn completely. To know that there was something there, but unsure where it came from.

"I command you to reveal yourself."

Again, no one answered.

"You will show yourself before the Queen of Ocovia." I commanded at the mysterious sound again. This time, I heard footsteps. They were behind me?

I quickly turn only to be met by the blade of a knife. It came out of nowhere, and it went deep into my abdomen. I could feel my dress becoming cold from the blood that leaked out. It stung so much. The pain was unbearable.

I could feel myself fall forward, but was immediately caught by someone, who I could only assume was my attacker. He held me into a tight grip as I fell into his arms. His smell, it was so familiar. I knew him somehow.

I looked up to him but could only see his mouth under his cloak. My vision blurred, but I could see his smile start to turn and curve into an unpleasant grin.

 _Who was this guy?_

"Rest, my Queen." His voice was heavy and sharp. "Soon, your rule will come to an end."

 _That voice.. No. It couldn't be.._

"Y-You're…."

* * *

"Athena…" Andriet jerked up from his bed and breathed heavy, clinching the bed sheets. "What?" He looked around his bedroom, wiping the sweat from his head.

The King sat there, looking distantly in the dark room. His dream, no nightmare, had woken him up.

"It's gotten worse…." Andriet spoke softly, holding his head. He then pulled himself out of bed and placed his robe on. He took a deep breath, slightly squeezing his fist. The King thought for a moment. "I think I need to see my advisor."

Andriet walked out of his room, slightly shaking from the nightmare. As he walked down the hall, he felt as though so many eyes were directly on him. He's felt this way since Athena was murdered. So much had been put on his shoulders and so many people relied on him.

Athena, for as long as Andriet knew, ruled since she was young. Her parents passed away when she was only twelve years of age. Surprisingly getting the role of ruling her kingdom since then. It's an rare occurrence for a child, let alone a woman, to rule alone. Eventually, though, the people demanded a king. So, she and Andriet married. Even with a king by her side, she still ruled her land and Andriet's with such fierce and gentleness. She was practically the king for the people. The roles being drastically switched. Andriet was just as surprised as anyone else when Athena took authority, but nothing could stop the queen. Nothing except...

Andriet rubbed his head and shook it lightly. He pushed the thought of his wife aside, and rushed to his advisor's study.

Johnathan was flipping through pages in a book, while signing papers as the king arrived unannounced. John hadn't noticed his entrance until he heard a creak in the floor boards. It made the advisor look up, shocked to see the king at such a late hour in the night.

"My King, this is certainly a surprise."

"He haunts me every waking day, Johnathan." Andriet exclaimed.

"Your Majesty, you shouldn't spend so much of your energy on one hedgehog."

"That _hedgehog_ threatens my crown!" The King slowly paced, but the heaviness in each step was there.

"The knights can handle this situation" John tried to convince him between his yawns.

"That hedgehog has been alive, running free for five years, Johnathan." He nearly spat out, disgusted at the knights' work. "Now he has my daughter."

"Most likely just an act to get you riled up."

"He's smarter than that. I have to find her now or he will-" Andriet cut himself off, gripping his fist tightly enough to make his knuckles white. His face was full of anger, fury, and… Dismay?

John saw this and looked at his King with sympathy, but also bewilderment. He's seen him like this before, on many occasions actually. Most of the time Andriet would pass it off, but sometimes he would worry about the hedgehog criminal for days, weeks even. John wasn't entirely sure why he put some much concern on the hedgehog. Well, he had a theory.

"Your majesty, I know he's shortened your wife's life, but I don't think he will do the same for the princess."

 _That's not it, Johnathan._

"Father!"

"W-What..?" The King turned his head toward the source of the noise.

 _Father!_

The noise came from a girl. She was a hedgehog whose quills were burnt ember in color. Her eyes beamed with light green, slight tears forming. She was no older than seven and stood as high as John's knees.

She grabbed John's arm. "Father, father!"

 _Father, father!_

John turned to his daughter who gripped onto his arm. "Faye, what are you doing here?"

"I thought I saw a monster."

John smiled at his child, "It's the dark playing tricks on you. You shouldn't be wondering the halls by yourself."

 _You shouldn't be wondering the halls by yourself…_

Andriet was forced back into his past.

5 Years ago:

The king was awoken by the sound of his daughter, Amy. She had ran down the hall, calling his name as she sobbed. Her steps were hard and swift. She stopped at the door and, with all the strength a seven-year-old had, banged her fist against the door.

The king got out of his bed and threw on his robe. He opened the door to be greeted by Amy, whose eyes were red, full of tears. She sniffed and stuttered as she tried to speak to her father.

"F-Father, F-Father.."

"Do you have any idea what time it is, Amy?"

"N-No.. B-But Father.." She rubbed her eyes and reached for his hand.

He grabbed hers and knelt to her level. "What troubles you? Why are you crying?"

Amy cries grew louder.

"You shouldn't be wondering the halls by yourself."

"Momma!" She wailed and forced herself into his arms, crying into his chest. Andriet jumped back but held onto the little girl.

"Amy, what are you talking about? What about your mother?" He asked while he rubbed her head.

"My king? My king?!" John ran down the hall, gasping for air. "The Queen!"

Andriet turned his attention to John, seeing the panic in his eyes. "What is it, spit it out." The king commanded the advisor.

"She's gone…" John paused, he struggled to say the right words. He looked at the king, seeing his stern look.

"What say you?"

"The Queen is dead!" John finally said to him.

The king said nothing, only looked at his advisor. Andriet's eyes were hard to read. John couldn't figure out what the king was thinking.

"I know who it was." The King coldly said, holding his daughter close. "It was _him_. That hedgehog, Sonic."

Present:

Andreit winced in pain, grabbing his head as he did so.

"My King?" Andreit stared back to John, who was hesitating to shake him from his stare. The king collected himself and shook his head.

"Your Majesty?"

"I think I should retire for the night." Andriet said quietly.

"Yes, wise decision."

"Go to your chambers, Johnathan. Let your daughter rest for the night." He turned and walks towards the door. "We both have had a long night…."

"Yes, of course."

The King made his way back to his room and shut the door behind him. He stared blankly for a long while, thinking back to his nightmare and his quick flashback. So much that had happened in one night. One night, had deadly consequences and new authority to the land. Andriet had worked hard to get where he was at and it was about to be in jeopardy. There was too much for the King to lose and he was not about to throw the white flag to that outlaw, even if his daughter was evolved.

"No, there's too much to lose here." Andriet spoke out loud. "That hedgehog, Sonic, will be taken down or my legacy will be at stake."

* * *

 **Anddddd Chapter 3 is done! I won't lie, this one was hard for me to write. I had rewritten it nearly 3 times, because I hated the way I was writing it until I found a decent way to write out this chapter. So, I'm okay with how it came out- But I'm more excited to write chapter 4! That'll be a fun one that will take no problem writing out.  
**

 **Share your thoughts and reviews are GREATLY appreciated!**


	4. Tavern Mayhem

**Chapter 4: Tavern Mayhem **

Amy continued to sprint through the dense and heavy forest. She could hardly see what was in front of her, but she assumed Sonic could see what she couldn't. He directed her through the darkness, holding a tight grip around her waist.

Each step she took was harder to manage. While she was grateful for the more appropriate attire for her situation, she still struggled to scurry at Sonic's wanted pace. Often, he would push her against his hand, nearly having her feet glide off the ground as he sped up. He was impatient indeed.

Finally, Sonic slowed his steps and listened to his surroundings. Amy watched as his ears moved around, patrolling the area.

"I think we will be fine walking from here."

"How much longer do we have?" Amy asked between breaths. "I'm tired and I still have no idea where you are taking me."

"Be patient."

"Says the one who is impatient."

"Oh, now the princess has jokes?"

"As long as you provide the opportunity." She smirked at him, folding her arms.

"Heh, you remind me so much of-" He stopped, looking away from the pink hedgehog.

"What?" Amy's ears perked up.

"Nothing."

"But you said I reminded you of someone."

"Princess, it's nothing."

Amy looked at him. "You mean… My mother?" She asked him, holding onto a thin line of hope that he would talk about her. Amy knew Sonic knew something about her mother, but he was so secretive, so cautious about mentioning her to Amy. Why was that?

Sonic looked at Amy, letting the wind blow between the grass. "Amy…" He spoke softly, almost letting his eyes tell her the secrets he hid behind them.

"Sonic, you knew my mother and you just seem to know a lot that you're not telling me." She gripped onto her dress as she spoke.

"….We will discuss it.. Soon." He walked ahead, leaving Amy to contemplate what he said.

The wind was silenced, holding the air at a still. Amy looked to her feet and back behind her. She knew she could possibly sneak away and run back to the village. Maybe find a knight to take her to the castle, but something prevented her from dashing away. Was it her curiosity playing her like an instrument? Possibly. Amy wanted to know what secrets this hedgehog supposedly knew and was hiding. She needed to know, if her father's claims were right.

 _"_ _He killed your mother. The Winged Saber slaughtered her… Her blood is shed because of him."_ The King had once said to her.

If Sonic did kill her mother, Amy was certain she would find a way to kill this Winged Saber herself. No one should be able to walk free for a crime like that. To rip a mother from her child, it's inhumane. That was her mother, and if she had to claw the truth from Sonic, she was willing to do so.

Amy's force of curiosity pushed her forward, walking alongside the hedgehog. He walked in silence, not even giving her a slight glance.

"Why do they call you the Winged Saber?" Amy asked, trying to change the subject.

Sonic ears moved, but he still looked forward. "Villagers say I look like a hedgehog with wings as I run. Could be because of my cape."

"Okay, and the saber part?"

"Well, it should be obvious." Sonic drew his sword from his scabbard. It was the same one that she saw the night he kidnapped her. Seeing the sword more clearly now, she could see that the long-curved sword had engravings on them. Usually, engravings only knights would have on their swords.

Engravings on the blades usually signified the swords name or a weird codename a knight might have gotten from the King or Queen. This is what she was told by Shadow. The dark knight had an engraving on his blade and it spoke of the sword's name: Arondight. That legendary sword was said to never lose its edge.

"Knights usually only have big swords like that." Amy stated.

"Maybe I stole it from a knight."

"So, you're saying you have killed another knight to get that sword?"

"I'm not _saying_ anything." He spat out, placing the sword back in the scabbard, but holding a tight grip on the hilt.

Amy looked at Sonic, the blankness of his gaze unnerved her.

 _So, he has killed more than once._

"How can people trust you if you've killed knights of the kingdom?" Amy rhetorically asked. "You are just a blood-hungry killer."

"Princess, you know little."

"Really? I feel like I already know plenty about you, Sonic."

"You obviously don't look at the bigger picture of the situation." Sonic stopped once more and looked at her. "My people trust me with their lives."

" _Your_ people?"

"Yes, _my_ people." Sonic repeated himself, raising his voice slightly. "If you were a real princess, you would know more than I. But you don't"

"I know plenty."

"Your people know more than you." Amy paused at his words, he continued. "I know more about your whole life than you yourself."

"… And yet you still tell me little." Amy tightened her fist. "Why the secrets? What are you hiding?"

Sonic grabbed hold of her hands and rubbed them gently. Amy's grip loosened from his touch, but she kept her guard up as much as she could. "Princess, this isn't the place."

"Fine." Amy moved her hand and wrapped her cape around herself. "Then what and where is 'the place'?"

Sonic motioned her forward and she continued on his set path. Sonic followed behind her and they journeyed further in the dark.

The moon had finally peaked in the sky when they finally arrived at Sonic's destination. He moved the brush and let Amy walk into the opening.

Amy looked around and her eyes gazed on an old, and seemingly, abandoned building. The building was slightly slanted against a mound, making the building appear to nearly be in a U shape. There was a path that led to the building, with an old running gate along side it. At the beginning of the pathway, an old sign hung on a stake. The writing was weathered, but Amy could see enough to read 'The Red Lion'. Above the lettering, a fainted graphic red lion, standing on his hind legs, could be seen.

Amy looked back at Sonic. "What is this place?"

"It's an old tavern that only outcast and outlaws know of. It's just about the only place they can go to get some peace without feeling like they're rats."

"Wait, so there's outlaws in there right now?"

"Usually always is."

Amy shook her head. "I am not going in there."

"Well, Princess, I didn't really ask for your input." Sonic jokingly stated. "Besides, it's completely safe here."

As quick as Sonic spoke, the sound of breaking glass could be heard. Amy jumped and looked back at the building, where someone was suddenly thrown out of a window.

"Well, safe for the most part." Sonic rubbed the back of his head, slightly embarrassed.

"That does not give me much hope."

"You'll be fine, princess. Think of me as one of your personal knights."

"Again, not much hope there."

"Again, you'll be fine."

The hedgehogs walked along the dirt path that led up to the building. As they walked, Sonic could hear faint voices yelling and glasses shattering. Chairs moving about and someone moaning in pain.

Sonic looked to his side to see a man laying on the ground. He suspected it was the one who was thrown out the window. Everything about him looked alright, besides him being slightly drunk and scrabbling words together.

Sonic shook his head. "Try not to walk too far from my side." He spoke to Amy. "Like I said before, this place is full of outlaws. Be weary and don't talk to anyone. Keep your head low and if anyone asks, your name is Guin."

He waited for her nod and opened the door to the tavern. The smell of alcohol was the first thing Amy could feel invade her nose. Not to mention the smell of sweat. It was extremely hot in here. The lighting in the building was dim, but enough to see what was in front of you. There were small round tables littered all over the floor. Some seemed to be tipped over from who knows what reason. Steins were also knocked on the floor, with liquid still pouring from the mugs.

Amy looked to the side to see an area where the bar employee seemed to be working. He was an old light blue hedgehog. He had a short, but bushy, grey mustache that rested below his nose. His eyebrows were almost as dense as the pet under his nose. Could've easily mistaken it for another weird mustache. His eyes were blue, and he waved as they both passed.

Amy, doing as what Sonic told her before, kept her head low and walked close to him. Sonic looked around the room and turned his attention once he heard a deep rusty voice among them.

"Come on." Sonic led Amy to another opening in the building that was smaller than the room before. The fire in the fire bin burned and blazed light into the small room. And then suddenly, the room was filled with laughter and dancing. One voice sang loud and proudly, almost sounding like deep-throat singing. The voice belonged to a red echidna, who was on top of tables that were stacked together. He held a stein in one hand and a two-tailed fox in the other.

The echidna danced on the tables, stomping his feet as he forced the fox to dance, awkwardly, along with him.

"Far into the castle gates

Lies the king as he waits.

Searching for the hedgehog's soul

while digging himself further down the hole.

The Winged Saber runs and hides

Ye can't catch the wind as he glides.

All hail the knight of winds."

As the echidna sang, Sonic couldn't help but smile and stomp his foot to the beat. Amy, on the other hand, seemed to be confused by the red one's actions, but she giggled too.

The fox finally moved from the echidna's grip and crawled under the surrounding crowds' feet. He squeezed himself past many and finally bumped into the blue hedgehog's path. The fox looked up. "Sonic?"

"The one and only." He held his arms out, as if he just came back from the dead.

The fox smiled and hollered at the crowd, grabbing their attention. "Hey, Knuckles, Sonic's here!"

"Sonic?" Knuckles looked toward his friend's direction, throwing the stein to the floor. He moved from the crowd and shook Sonic's hand. "Well, took you long enough to bring your butt back here."

"Good to see you both." Sonic rubbed the fox's head. "How's it going, Tails?"

"Pretty good, well except for the force dancing."

"Hey! It was fun, and you know it." Knuckles raised his voice, offended at the kid's words.

"I thought I told you no drinking." Sonic nudged the echidna, who only shook his fist in protest.

Amy watched the three boys as they bickered. She could see the bond between the three. The fox seemed to be the most level headed from the other two. He was shorter than Amy, but only by maybe an inch. He had bright blue eyes and bangs that sometimes hung over the blue shades. He had two prominent tails that had white tufted fur at the ends. The red echidna was not much taller than Sonic. His red dreads laid past his shoulder with a sharp edge. He had a white crest on his chest, almost making Amy laugh at the thought of his chest 'smiling' at her. He had dark violent eyes that gleamed with pride.

Amy's never seen them before. Her mind started to wonder if they were possibly outlaws too. If that was the case, what crime did these two do? The fox didn't seem to be one who would commit a crime. As for the echidna, Amy was more torn on that thought.

Knuckles finally turned his attention to the girl, making her freeze in her spot. Sonic noticed this and grabbed the red one's arm. "Let's talk somewhere private."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea, Sonic."

Tails had led the group up a stair wall that led to a hall above the tavern. The hall had only a few closed off rooms, but the one that was open, Tails had guided Amy there. Amy settled on the bed in the corner of the room, as there was nothing else in there but a few chairs and curtains covering the windows.

As Sonic followed behind the group, Knuckles waited and closed the bedroom door once everyone was accounted for.

"So," Knuckles started, "I'm Knuckles and the fox there is Tails."

Amy hesitated, but Sonic gave her the nod to let her speak. "Hi. I'm Amy-"

Knuckles held his hand up. "I already know, princess Amy."

"Fantastic…" Amy mumbled under her breath. "Apparently you're not the only one." She said as she gave a slight glare at Sonic.

Tails sat beside her, giving her a welcomed smile. "Well, you are the princess after all. Who doesn't know who you are?"

"I guess that's fair." She looked at the two strangers. "So, are you both outlaws too?"

"Please, that fox couldn't harm a fly if he tried." Knuckles laughed, making Tails huff.

"Could too."

"No, you couldn't"

"Yes, I could."

"Guys." Sonic interrupted.

"Uh, right." Knuckles rolled his eyes, taking a step toward Amy. "The only crime I've ever committed was protesting against the King."

"Why?" Amy asked.

"Well," Knuckles looked to Sonic, who gave him a warning glare. Knuckles nodded and looked back to Amy. "It's not my place to say entirely. So, let's just say I have some disagreements with how he… handles things."

 _Handles things?_

"Well," Knuckles spoke out-loud, clapping his hands together, "I guess my blue friend over here has already discussed why he's brought you here."

Amy blinked. Tails looked at her then at Sonic. "Wait, you haven't told her? What did you do? Just kidnap her?"

"Well, yeah."

"Sonic..." Tails rubbed his eyes.

"I'm working on it, Tails." Sonic rubbed the back of his head. "I just haven't found the perfect time to tell her…. Everything."

 _Everything?_

"Uh, right." Tails turned his attention back to the princess. "Princess Amy, the three of us had the intention of bringing you here to hopefully turn you to our side. Join our uprising to take down your father."

"Oh, you mean the side of the outlaws?" Amy folded her arms.

"Well, yes and no." Tails looked around the room. "It's complicated to explain with you not knowing much of what's going on."

"Then tell me." Her face was hard and stern.

"Not yet." Sonic spoke out.

Knuckles and Tails looked at him, while Amy got up and stomped her foot. "Why not?"

"Because I said so."

"Ugh, I've had enough of this game."

"It's not much of a game." Sonic corrected.

"Oh? Well, you're treating it like it is. Hiding secrets and not telling me anything. You want me to fight by your side, but without giving me a good darn reason." Her eyes lit in flames. "You did it didn't you?"

"Did what?" Sonic asked.

"Killed my mother."

"What?"

"I want the truth. Why did you kill my mother? Why!?" Amy cried out.

"A-Amy…"

"I bet that's why you won't tell me anything, because you know you're a killer with my mother's blood on your hands."

"That's enough!" He finally yelled at her, but this hardly made the situation better.

"No, I've had it." Amy held her head high and stood close to Sonic's face. He stared deep in her eyes. "Tell me the truth." She finally warned.

"No."

His face was met with Amy's palm, moving his head to the side. The sound nearly made the room shake. Both the echidna and fox watched as Sonic stood motionless, probably shocked from Amy's action.

Sonic turned his head back to hers, seeing tears forming in her eyes. "You're no better than my father." She hissed out, gritting her teeth.

Sonic's eyes shook and softened. "Amy…"

"Get out and leave me be."

"Amy, I-"

"Get out!" She shoved the three boys out the door, nearly making them trip. Sonic tried to run back to the door but quickly was greeted with the doors face. His head hit the hard wood, making him fall backward.

"Well now what are we going to do?" Knuckles groaned. "Sonic, this is your fault."

"Knuckles, Knuckles." Tails held his arm, calming the echidna. "Lets just give her some space."

Knuckles growled and stomped down the hall, leaving Tails with Sonic. The fox looked at Sonic, who was still sitting on the floor, staring at her door like a lost puppy.

Tails figured he needed his best friend, so he sat beside the hedgehog and patted his back. "You know, your dad would have scolded you by now."

"Yeah, I know."

"Sonic, you should know, better than anyone, that keeping secrets and running away from it, causes more harm than good." Tails looked at his friend.

"Yeah, I know."

"You've been running from your past for five years. Don't you think it's wise to tell her the truth?"

Sonic said nothing, only pulled his hood down to hide himself.

"Sonic." Tails pleaded.

"You may be right, Tails." He gripped onto the dark fabric. "But this is only going to bring her more pain and just.." His voice trailed off.

"I know." Tails softly spoke, wrapping his tails around himself. "But Sonic, sometimes the truth helps us heal."

"Too much is to be healed and Amy," He looked to his friend, "She's already shattered from losing her mother. Telling her the truth about her mother, about me, will just destroy her."

"Well, maybe if you help glue the missing pieces in her heart, you'll find that your own heart will begin to piece itself together too."

* * *

 **ANDDD Chapter 4 is done! I've always loved tavern settings in movies for some reason. I originally wasn't going to include Knuckles and Tails in the story, but I thought they were a must here. Plus, I love the character dynamic with these three in the games.**

 **I dropped two chapters in one day, mainly because I made chapter 3 shorter to help balance out the longer chapters. If you call about 2,000 words short XD Sometimes it's good to rest the eyes from long readings. Anyway, Chapter 5 will be coming next Thursday, and maybe even chapter 6. Hope you enjoyed it!**

 **Share your thoughts and reviews are GREATLY appreciated!  
**


	5. The Blade of Consequence

**Chapter 5: The Blade of Consequence**

The night seemed to drag itself as Sonic laid his back against the door. The sound of steins falling and chairs moving about filled the stillness of the hall. Though, there was still silence in his mind. He heard nothing and watched as dust bunnies hopped around at his feet. The lights above his head slightly rocked, making the shadows move about.

Sonic sighed and kicked the dust watching it fall back to his feet. He laid his head back to Amy's door, making a small thud sound.

"Sometimes I wish I could talk to her without starting a fight." Sonic whispered, looking at the door knob. "Yeah, guess it's still locked."

Sonic knew it was probably a little past midnight now. Tails and Knuckles decided to turn it in early, but some folks had stayed behind to get a few more drinks in. Sonic had chose to stay up, in hopes to get the princess to talk to him.

He rubbed his cheek, which was still lightly pink from Amy's hand. It stung a little, but Sonic's had worse injuries than this. Even so, it still could have the same effect to a back stab from a close friend. Sonic knew he needed to fix the situation, but he feared so much for the girl if she knew anything… Or maybe, he feared looking back at the past.

Tails had given Sonic great advice from earlier, but Sonic just did not want to dig out old dirt. Granted, he knew the moment he kidnapped Amy, that he would have to tell her the truth and bloody mess that took place the night of her mother. He just didn't think he would have to do it himself.

Sonic chuckled, thinking he could use a drink right about now.

"Tails usually is right about everything. He's probably right about what I have to do…"

Amy laid in her bed, looking out the window. The sky was clear, and the moon was bright. She watched as the stars lit across the sky. She smiled remembering her mother claiming with such haughtiness that her daughter held more beauty than the moon itself. It actually made her giggle in her hard situation.

"You shouldn't have left..." Amy spoke out loud. "Mom, I wish you were here."

"I wish you would open the door." Amy heard Sonic speak past the door.

"You've been there for hours. Give it up, Sonic."

"Not until you let me talk to you."

"I think we are done talking." Amy said flatly.

"But we're talking right now."

"Stop it."

"Stop what?"

Amy frowned, "You're so.. Ugh!"

"I know." Amy could almost feel the smirk on his face, making her more frustrated.

"Sonic, you're unbelievable."

"Come on, Amy. Can we just talk?"

"Not going to happen. I commend you for staying out there as long as you have, but you've pushed it."

Sonic thought back to what Tails told him, fixing the broken pieces in her heart and possibly his own. Holding these secrets wasn't doing him any favors. If anything, it made any small building block to a potential friendship fall back to an enraged snake fight. It was destined to disaster unless Sonic took the right step to build it back up again. It was either truth, or more lies and dishonesty.

"Amy, please come out." Sonic sighed slightly. "I'll tell you the truth."

Amy laid still.

"Amy, please." Sonic begged.

Amy sighed, knowing the blue hedgehog was not going to give up as easily as she hoped. "Fine, but you have to promise you'll tell me everything you're hiding."

Sonic hesitated but accepted her offer. But not without his own bargain. "I'll tell you, if you let me teach you how to sword fight."

"Hey! You said you would tell me the truth."

"And I will, but if you do end up joining our rebellion, well, I want you to be half as good as me with a sword."

"Oh, and you're playing that game?"

Amy forced herself off the bed and opened the door. Sonic got up off the floor and stood in front of her, blocking the doorway.

"Well? What say you?"

"Fine." Amy smirked and poked Sonic's nose, making him lightly blush. "Let's play."

Sonic led Amy around the back of the old tavern. He had decided to jump out the bedroom window to keep from waking people up or drawing attention. Amy figured he just wanted to jump out a window to show off to be frank. But she could only assume.

Amy stood in the small opening from the back of the building. The mound made it hard to find flat ground, but it would have to do for now.

Sonic drew his sword from the saber and held it out to her. The light from the moon made it's reflection dance across the blade. Amy looked at the curved blade, staring at it.

"Ok, are you sure you want me to hold that?"

"Princess, I wouldn't be wasting my time if I didn't." Sonic held out his hand, waiting for her to grab hold of the hilt. Amy hesitated, but finally grabbed the hilt. It was heavy, and Amy had to use a lot of her strength to hold it up. It made her arms lightly shake.

"It's a bit heavy, Sonic."

"Well, this is just practice. After this, I'll try to get ahold of something more of your style princess." Sonic watched Amy as she held the sword.

"W-What?"

Sonic shook his head and walked behind her. "Holding it slightly off." Sonic moved his chest to her back, moving his hands around her. Amy froze, but felt her body lose its stiffness when Sonic put his hands on top of hers. He then moved her hands lower down the hilt, while his cheek nearly brushed against her own.

Amy wasn't sure if he realized how close he was to her, but he seemed to be taking it better than herself. While she was timid of his touch, she also found it strangely relaxing to have him so close to her.

"I would hold it near the middle instead of the very top of the handle." Sonic corrected her. "Also, you don't have to hold it with two hands. With an actual sword, I would recommend you hold it with both hands."

Amy nodded with a blush forming in her cheeks, and held a tighter grip onto the sword. She nervously squirmed herself from his arms, making Sonic smile at her actions, but he moved away from her and let her hold the sword on her own.

Amy then began to make slow and careful swings, constantly looking back at Sonic for approval. He nodded at her to continue.

"Am I doing this right?"

"It's just practice for me to see how you fight and what kind of weapon I should get you."

"Oh." Amy moved her feet as she swung. Stopping momentarily to get a feel of the weapon she held. Her mind quickly changed the scene of the back of the tavern and imagined herself fighting a whole army singlehandedly. An opponent making an advance to her, sword raised high in the air. She smirked, blocking her opponent's blade as metal met metal. She pushed him back with such power and strength, making them fall to the dirt. Amy held the sword at their neck, satisfied at her quick and effortless victory.

Sonic watched her do this, holding his gloved hand over his mouth. He smiled behind his hand as Amy continued her little fantasy battle. Sonic could almost imagine everything the princess was seeing. Seeing her fantasize her battle's victory and how open she was to use the weapon. She could turn into a fine warrior indeed.

The way Amy's eyes brighten as her mind went wild, seeing her relax and so quick in getting the hang of his sword. She almost looked like a well-trained fearsome warrior. One even Sonic might hesitate to mess with. It actually made her, dare he think, attractive.

He quickly pushed the thought aside, not wanting to create advances in himself.

"Heh, not bad, princess." Sonic clapped his hands. "You'll be a feared warrior in no time."

"Mm, maybe even better than the mighty Winged Saber?"

"Maybe." Sonic chuckled at the girl. "Seeing how you wield my sword though, does give me an idea on what type of weapon you could use."

"So, I guess I can't use this sword then?" She asked as she made another swing with the saber.

"Well, no. That weapon means a lot to me."

Amy stopped and looked back at the hedgehog. She saw Sonic get lost in hist thoughts at his own words. Amy figured this was probably the best time to try to get him to start talking. Best time to break the ice.

"So, where did you learn?"

"Huh?"

"Where did you learn your skills with the sword?" Amy raised her eyebrow. "You hold a sword as great as any knight I've ever seen hold one."

Sonic blinked a few times, not really expecting her to ask a question like that. But he forced himself out of his thoughts.

"Heh, my father was the first to teach me the art of a sword." Amy listened, making sure to hold tight to every word that came from his mouth.

"So, how did he learn his skills?" She asked.

"My father learned it from his father, my father's father learned it from his and so on." Sonic chuckled. "So, you could say I come from a line of swordsmen."

"So, you say." Amy slowly made a swing, but the sword dropped to the ground as she did so.

"Heh, it takes a bit to get used to."

"Yeah, I can barely hold it." Amy gave him a small smile, but it slowly faded. "So, did this sword belong to another knight?"

"My saber?" Amy nodded, remembering the argument they had about his sword. She had believed, from his wording, that he got his sword from killing a knight. It's one of the reasons she's been cautious toward him. "Heh, no. This was my fathers."

"Was he a knight?"

Sonic said nothing.

"Sonic, you promised: No more secrets." Amy whined as she spoke, tired of practically pulling teeth to get him to speak.

"My father," Sonic started, "he was the bravest of all the knights of the land. He was called the Mighty Knight."

 _Mighty Knight_

"I've… Heard of that somewhere." Amy recalled, her eyes looked at the sword then back at Sonic.

Amy had some kind of distant memory of someone called the Mighty Knight. She remembered… He was also a blue hedgehog whose armor was bright copper. He wielded a sword, no, a long-curved saber. It was so similar to the one she held in her hands.

There was another distant memory with Amy walking alongside this knight once before. He stood high and proud. He often smiled at her when she was young. The knight took care of her and even let the princess play with his child. His son, who was as blue as his father. Except his eyes were green and he had no brown bangs from his forehead his father held. His son had a lot of uncanny similarities like….

Amy turned to the hooded one, who watched as her eyes seemed to be opening their own doors of mystery and discovery. "Your….. Father-'"

"Yes, princess. My father was a knight in your court."

"Okay, so wait." Amy held her hands out, trying to get an understanding. "If he was a knight of my father, what did that make of you?"

Sonic chuckled, "Slowly trying to put the pieces together, huh?"

"Sonic, answer me!" Amy pleaded, having the pieces of the puzzle building itself together. Amy longed for more. She needed the truth.

"My father," Sonic started again, "was the top knight for the King. As well as the rest of my relatives before him. I was next in line to become the next highly praised knight for your court."

"I've known you since I was a kid…"

"Yes." Sonic gave her a warm smile. "For as long as I can remember, we were close friends."

That explained some things, but not everything. Amy was still baffled on why she was blind to recognize him. But, she was just a kid when she knew him.

"You were there but gone the next day in a blink of an eye." Amy held her hand to her chest. "I remember now. You and your father disappeared after my mother…" Her voice trailed off. Sonic could hear her voice crack slightly.

Amy held the sword up, holding it between her and the blue hedgehog. "You know, I could use this sword to turn you in to my father."

"And yet, you have yet to do so. Why?"

Amy said nothing.

"Why do you hesitate?" Sonic asked holding out his arms.

"Because… Because something doesn't sound right." She lowered the sword back down, making the tip of the blade kiss the grass. "Though, I still feel like I hardly know you, it doesn't sound right. My so-called 'childhood friend' killed my mother?"

Sonic let her speak, letting her mind take course than her actions.

"I just want you to tell me everything that happened."

"Where do I even begin." Sonic almost asked himself.

"Begin with telling me what happened that knight and how you are involved with my mother's death. Why you are on the run. Everything."

Sonic's eyes grew soft, but she saw a light glow in his emerald eyes. He sat on an old log that slept soundly on the green grass. He looked at her eyes, where they held a simmer of light through her jades.

"You might not like it." Sonic tried to warn her.

"Tell me anyway. I'm a big girl. I can handle it." She spoke as she took a spot next to him, setting the saber to her side.

"I believe you now." He softly spoke, bending where his elbows rested on his knees. "I've known you since you were so young. We played games together and were basically unbreakable from what my father told me. We had a strong bond as kids."

Amy nodded her head and played with her hands as he continued. "Not too long after that, I got pulled away to train harder and keep my focus on becoming a knight. Your mother had hopes for me to become your personal knight until death. But I was also competing with another hedgehog for that title."

"Shadow?" Amy questioned. "He's been my personal knight for years."

"Yeah, I didn't know his name then, but yes, he was also training to gain that title." Sonic shook his head. "Anyway, one day someone tried to assassinate the Queen as she laid rest in her studies. I came in in time to stop the assassin before he could do so. After that day, I was knighted as the youngest in the kingdom at the age of eight."

"I don't remember that."

"That's because your father made sure it stayed within castle walls. He wasn't happy I was chosen over his personal pick. Shadow." Sonic stared off. "Anyway, your mother thought I was still too young to be your knight, so I was trained to be hers with my father being her actual personal guard."

"I see, but you never got to be my knight?"

"Correct, I was your mothers knight while training for two years."

"Two years?" Sonic nodded at her, confirming what he stated. "And why did you never get to be my knight?"

Sonic looked at her, then back at the ground. Amy saw his feet shift from side to side, then point back towards her. "Something bad happened one night. Something really bad. Your mother…." His voice changed to a whisper, making Amy move closer to hear him speak.

"Sonic, what happened? Did you-'"

The sudden sound of rustling leaves caught the attention of the hedgehogs, making their ears shoot up. Sonic looked behind to see what the source behind the unexpected disturbance. He saw nothing but glowing eyes. Red eyes that beamed from the brush, holding deep hatred and fury within them. Sonic could feel the hard coldness in those eyes, but heat that came from them as well. Sonic knew those eyes. Those are the same eyes that clashed with his own the night he kidnapped Amy.

The hooded hedgehog made a slow movement for his sword's scabbard and hilt but felt the gut punching fear of not feeling his sword's handle. He felt his heart fall from his chest to his abdomen, making a hard landing. In that instant he knew that his mistake would come with consequence.

Sonic had no time to react to feeling the dark knights mighty blade slash at him with such force. He felt the fast and swift slash of Arondight piercing his flesh, knocking his head backward from the blow. Sonic was quickly blinded, his vision had turn red in color and started to blur as blood ran past his eyes. The taste of blood fell and quickly flooded the blue hedgehog's lips as his back met the ground.

* * *

 **ANNNND CHAPTER 5 IS FINISHED! There we have it.~**

 **I, for a short time, got stuck with this chapter. But as soon as I pulled up instrumental music, my mind went full writers' mode again.**

 **So, I wanted to talk quick about what I plan to write next. Now, I'm still not anywhere near finished with this story, but just wanted to let ya know what my plans will be after this story is done or while I continued The Winged Saber.**

 **I plan to start a new story starring Infinite and Shadow. I have a fun idea about a "What if this happened after Forces" I've had on mind since I finished the game a year ago. Not a shipping story, but one about the journey of these two growing a strong respect to each other and getting pass being enemies. I also have more Sonamy stories ideas of course~~But hey if y'all are interested, just let me know when you talk/review this chapter in the comments.**

 **Next Thursday Chapter 6 will drop. Thank you for the support thus far! You guys are awesome and I'm glad you're enjoying it so far!  
**

 **Anyway ~ Share your feedback with the chapter and Reviews are GREATLY appreciated!**


	6. Skirmish

**Chapter 6: Skirmish**

The ground smacked Sonic's back as he fell backward. He screamed and held a hand over his wounded brow, feeling his head throb in pain. The blood fell to his eyes, making his vision harder to see. Everything was red, and shapes were difficult to make out. Shadow nearly got his eye, but Sonic was lucky enough to have him miss his aim. What pure luck he had for a second.

Shadow stood before the hooded one, gripping hard onto his sword. "You made a grave mistake letting your guard down."

Sonic looked at the dark knight, sneaking a smirk on his lips.

"Why do you make that face?"

"Who said I let my guard down?"

Shadow only laughed at his question. His eyes beamed as he did so. "If any knight knows anything, it's to not let his guard down for a second."

"Gez, even when you sleep?" Sonic laughed through his teeth, holding in any pain he had. He wasn't going to show this hedgehog how much pain he was in. No, that would just make the knight satisfied at his work.

Shadow let out a grunt and swung his sword, only to have his blade cut the grass as Sonic leaped backward gaining some distance.

Sonic felt his adrenalin kick in, and though his head was pounding and his face bloodied, he stood high.

"I think you miss my eye." Sonic mocked at the dark one.

"I wasn't aiming for your eye." Shadow took another charge at the hedgehog and swung his sword high enough to slice his neck.

"Whoa!" Sonic jumped back. "Careful that thing is sharp."

"Stop playing around and fight like a knight!"

"Fine." Sonic reached for his sword's hilt, feeling nothing but air. "Shoot." Sonic panicked and let his eyes traced away from Shadow.

He mentally cursed himself, realizing he was foolish enough to let his eyes wonder from the danger to search for his sword.

"No more games, Hedgehog." Shadow kicked Sonic back into the earth. Sonic groaned in pain and looked at his attacker, who stood above him holding Sonic down with one foot.

"Hmph," Shadow held out his sword, where it halted at Sonic's neck. "In the name of King Andriet, I shall return you to his majesty. Dead or alive."

"Y-You'll," Sonic stuttered, feeling the pressure from Shadow's weight and metal shoes, "have to kill me to make me face the King. I will not look at him unless my sword is at his throat!"

"So be it." Arondight's movement was quick but was halted in front of Sonic. The two hedgehog's heard another blade being out in the ring.

Amy held the saber tightly, holding Shadow's blade from Sonic's skin.

Sonic blinked, not fully registering what was happening. This princess, this girl, who had never held a sword until today, stopped Arondight. She stopped the best knight's sword from touching Sonic. Amy didn't even flinch as she did so either. It was almost like instinct somehow.

"Amy," Shadow spoke, letting his muscles ease against the blade she held. "what are you doing?"

"Shadow, I'm sorry, but I can't let you kill him."

"Amy this is not your place." Shadow's voice changed, almost sounding like a lion coming out of his den. He put so much anger into his words to her. "Move."

"I will not."

Shadow's blood started to boil, it was like a volcano ready to blow it's top and smoke steaming from his ears and nose.

"You said I had to choose what kind of queen I want to be." Amy gripped onto the handle. "This is what I want to be. A queen who chooses to give chances to those who might deserve it."

"Amy, move out of the way. I will not fight you-'"

Amy pushed Shadow back with the saber, making him stumble. He blinked and looked at the princess hard.

"This is not your place." He repeated at her once more.

"You're not my father." She spat out, making the dark one's eyes soften.

"I may not be your father, but I am your protector and I am taking directions from his Majesty. So, I'm sorry, but I can't just let him go."

"I'm sorry too."

Shadow frowned, but quickly held his sword back up to block her sudden attack. "Stop fighting me." Shadow pushed her back as gentle as he could to prevent harming the princess.

Amy held her ground and moved her feet to Shadow's direction. She wasn't going to back down from this fight. She was willing to risk her well being for him.

"Shadow, I won't let you take him. You'll have to get through me first."

Shadow shook his head but sighed at her. "Then I have no choice but to fight you."

"Don't cry if you get beat by a girl!" Sonic cheered.

"I'll end this quickly." Shadow said flatly.

Amy charged toward the dark hedgehog, but he moved too quick for her to get a first hit on him. He stood behind her and watched her twirl herself around to face him again. She charged at him again, but with another failed attempt. Shadow had moved to the side, avoiding her sword letting it hit the ground. This went on for several seconds.

"This is silly." Shadow spoke with annoyance in his tone. "I'm ending this."

Shadow sped to her side, grabbing hold of her arm. Amy jumped and lost her grip on the saber. Shadow took this chance to grab the hilt and held it in his other arm.

"No fair." Amy gripped her fist. "You didn't even give me a chance."

"Amy, that's enough." He silenced her. "I am killing this hedgehog and then I'm taking you home to your father."

Shadow turned his attention to Sonic and held the sword out. "Any last words?"

Sonic smirked, pulling out a dagger from his glove. "Come at me."

Shadow and Sonic charged at each other, with such speed that was nearly impossible to see. Amy, panicked, afraid to see Sonic or Shadow get hurt. Amy knew if she lost Sonic, there was no way she'd know the truth behind her mother's dead. She couldn'y just let that truth die in front of her. Not only that, but she could lose a friend...

"Wait!" Amy ran as fast as she could, trying her best to match their speed. Somehow, she was able to just barely get between the two hedgehogs.

Both Sonic and Shadow didn't seem to see the princess in front of them before it was too late.

 _ **SHNK**_

Sonic's blood went cold, turning his face as white as snow. Shadow's eyes shrunk and shook at the pure horror in front of him.

Amy breaths were heavy and short. She moved her hands to her stomach, where blood seeped through. Feeling both swords go through her, so suddenly, made her wounds sting and burn like fire on skin. Though, she felt cold too.

Shadow blinked and pulled out his sword from her. Sonic quickly did the same and stuttered to say any words.

"Oh god-'"

"A-Amy!" Sonic ran to her and caught the pink hedgehog as she stumbled back. Sonic held her head up, seeing her eyes dim a dull green.

"Why did you hurt her!?" Sonic glared his attention to Shadow, who was taken aback.

"I wasn't even planning on it! She ran in front of you."

"You stabbed her!"

"It was accidental." Shadow yelled, bending down to Amy.

"Don't touch her."

"I'm trying to help her."

"You can help her by not touching her." Sonic barked, groaning in annoyance.

"We need to find someone who can help her."

"My Uncle and friends can patch her up." Sonic suggested. He quickly shot up and made speed toward the Tavern. Shadow followed behind not wasting any time.

The night had passed and finally fell to the morning and soon afternoon. There was silence in the halls. Everyone was either drunk downstairs or out in the city doing what they weren't supposed to do. Even still, the air was thick and heavy. It was relatively silent, besides hearing tottering feet down in the halls.

Sonic paced up and down the hall waiting for anything on Amy's well-being. While Shadow leaned against the wall, watching the hedgehog move about. The shuffling of the blue one's feet was enough to drive anyone crazy, especially doing it for hours on end.

Shadow gritted his teeth, "Sonic, will you please."

"Hey, I'm worried, alright."

"Oh, the kidnapper is worried about the one he kidnapped?"

"Hey," Sonic raised his voice, "Just because I took her doesn't mean I don't care."

"Whatever."

"Whatever." Sonic mocked and slowed his pacing as he heard footsteps. Amy's bedroom door opened to reveal Tails and Sonic's Uncle, Chuck.

Chuck was the first to speak. "You two really took a number a her, huh?"

"Is the princess alright?" Shadow asked.

"Hm?" Chuck turned to him, and nodded in reassurance. "Don't worry, boys. She's going to be just fine. Though, you both stabbed her in the stomach and back."

"It was his fault." Sonic pointed the blame.

"My fault? No, I think it was yours." Shadow argued.

"Guys," Tails interrupted, "can you two stop for a moment."

"Yeah, sorry." Sonic rubbed the back of his head.

Shadow spoke, "I pray she's well enough to speak."

Both Chuck and Tails nodded. The fox patted his brother's shoulder. "Be quick though. She needs rest to recover from her injuries."

"Thanks, little bro'."

Tails nodded and followed Chuck down the steps. "Just holler if there's anything she needs."

Sonic chuckled and walked toward the bedroom, but was stopped when Shadow grabbed his arm.

Sonic turned his head to him, raising his brow. "Hm?"

"You're lucky I haven't killed you yet."

"Oh, lucky me."

Shadow rolled his eyes and glared at Sonic. "The only reason I haven't is because she gave me orders."

"Orders against the King." Shadow said nothing, but Sonic continued. "You're only standing here now because you hurt her. Ain't that right?" Sonic put his arms on his sides. "You feel bad for hurting her. That's the only reason you haven't taken my life right now."

"Shut up. You're just as annoying as I remember."

"And you're just as shallow as I recall." Sonic crossed his arms, mimicking Shadow's gesture.

"Hmph."

Sonic looked to Shadow, loosening his posture. "You know as much as anyone that what the King is doing is wrong."

Shadow stood still, staring into the distance, but he was listening to the blue one.

"How many people did he torture over the years just to find a small hint of where I was?" Sonic asked bluntly. "How many people did he brainwash to believe that I was the fault to Athena's death?

"Sonic.." Shadow softly spoke.

"Shadow, you know it wasn't my fault-'"

"Sonic, it's not my place."

"How is it not?" Sonic raised his voice. "You and I were, well, decent friends to say the least. You know I wouldn't kill Athena…"

"I…" Shadow sighed, not wanting to continue the conversation. "Look, I wasn't there, and I don't know what happened. I get fed one thing from the King and another with you. So, I don't know who to believe, Sonic."

"Believe that I'm telling the truth."

"We're done here, Sonic." Shadow pushed the hooded one aside, walking downstairs to the tavern as fast as he could.

Sonic stood there for a moment but shook his head. He was used to people not believing his words. I mean, after everything that went down, could you blame anyone for it? Sonic didn't. He usually just accepted people's reactions on both sides. Even if they didn't believe him.

That's what Sonic feared when he would tell Amy the truth. She was either going to take it and spit it in his face or believe his words. It's hard for him to tell at this point.

Sonic knocked and opened the door to the bedroom. Amy was laying in her bed, covered with blankets and what looked like a wet towel on her head. Her eyes were midway shut, seeming to drift in and out of consciousness.

Amy did see him though, and gave him a smile that instantly made the whole room light up. Sonic returned the smile, and pulled up a chair beside her bed.

"Hey, pretty thing."

"Looking like a horse hit me is pretty?"

"Well, no." Sonic lightly laughed. "But if it did, I'd say so."

"God, you're unbelievable." Amy lightly shook her head.

Sonic rubbed her shoulder and chuckled nervously. "Heh, ya know that was really brave of you to protect me."

"What was that?"

"I said it was brave, alright." Sonic looked at her. "That meant a lot to me. Thank you."

Amy rubbed his hand and spoke, "Look, I know we've been going back and forth with bickering, but I wanted to say-'"

"I'm sorry."

"What?" Amy gazed at him confused.

"I'm sorry I've given you so much trouble and dragging baggage." Sonic's smile faded. "I just wanted to protect ya is all, but that seemed to make it worse."

"I'm sorry too."

"For what?"

"Sonic, I was being pushy. I should've been more considerate."

"Yeah, you were being pushy." He smirked.

"Don't push it."

"Right, right." Sonic held his hands up in defense.

"My mother..?" Amy asked. "You didn't finish the story."

"Hey, hey." Sonic cooed and rubbed her cheek. "Rest."

"But-'"

"Amy, please." Sonic begged. "I promise I'll get to that, but only after you are better."

Amy huffed, but nodded at Sonic. "Yeah, okay. I'll respect that."

"Thank you."

"I expect you to do the same."

Sonic waved his hand in the air, "What my cut?" He nearly laughed. "That ain't nothin'."

"Uh-Huh." Amy shook her head lightly, feeling her eyes become heavy.

Sonic saw this and started to get up, but stopped, looking back at her.

He hesitated for a moment, but leaned in close to Amy's cheek. She saw this and gasped, letting her face turn a deep red. She closed her eyes, waiting for his lips to meet her cheek, but it never came.

Amy opened her eyes and saw Sonic jump back into a wall like a gust of wind hit him. He stood there for a second, not saying anything to her.

"Sonic...?"

"W-Well," He stuttered. "Get-some-rest-bye!" Sonic darted out the door, closing it shut. He breathed out hard, letting his legs slide against the floor. He laid his back on the door, letting the weight from his shoulders rest.

He finally got his heart to stop jumping in his chest, and hopefully the blush from his cheeks reside.

"Sonic, my boy, what are you thinking…."

* * *

 **And there's chapter 6! And WOW, this story has gotten over 1,000 views and it's only been 5 Chapters up until right now. That's a lot of people. Thanks a lot guys! I never thought this story would get so many views. Considering I wrote it for hobby and stress relief purposes. That's super cool! It's also 1AM as I post this Chapter...  
**

 **I've gotten so busy with schoolwork that I almost forgot to write this chapter. But I managed to write it regardless of my busy schedule.**

 **Next Thursday Chapter 7 will be posted!**

 **Anyway, Thanks for reading and reviews are GREATLY appreciated!**


	7. Being the Town's Hero

**Chapter 7: Being the Town's Hero**

"Remind me again why you decided to drag me along with you?"

"Because, Shad, I need someone to hang with so my run to a few places didn't seem suspicious."

"And wearing that hooded garment and carrying a saber does not?"

Sonic chuckled at the dark knight, who kept a straight face. "Oh, you were serious?" Sonic mentally slapped himself. "Oh, wait. No, you're always serious."

"Just tell me where we are going." Shadow demanded.

"I got a few days errands to run. Amy needs her rest and I have no doubts that Knuckles and Tails will keep her from following along." Sonic smiled to himself. "She's got so much spirit."

"Uh-Huh."

"Anyway, I need to check up on the towns people. Make sure they're doing alright."

"Wouldn't they always?" Shadow asked. "The King seems to have nearly abolished poverty."

"Ok, maybe he has more towards the kingdom his castle lies in, but for the other town's under his rule, they're still suffering."

"Still suffering…?"

"Just wait and you'll see when I take you there. This is just part of my duty of being the Winged Saber."

"It's not like it's a job you get paid for."

"Maybe not, but I do it because I love my people. They deserve better than what the King tries to sugar-coat."

Shadow decided to say nothing as they continued to walk the trail. He wasn't in the mood for another verbal fight like last night.

"You seem to take a liking towards the princess."

"Huh?" Sonic went wide eyed from the sudden change in conversation. "Whatcha' mean, Shad?"

"First of all, don't call me that. Ever." He warned. "I don't like those childish nicknames you come up with."

"Well, gez, you didn't argue when we were kids."

"That was a long time ago, Sonic."

"Okay, okay. What's your other point?"

"You seem to like the princess."

"A-Amy?" Sonic stuttered, and quickly held up his hands. "Hey, hey. Hold on now-'"

"I'm not stupid. You ran downstairs last night like you saw a ghost." Shadow noted. "You were blushing."

"Don't mention ghost to Knuckles." Sonic laughed nervously. "He'll freak-'"

"Stop changing the subject." Shadow ordered. "You know having feelings for the princess will lead you nowhere. She can't marry a peasant or a wanted criminal for that matter."

"I never said I had feelings."

"You didn't have to." Shadow looked at Sonic. "You can deny all you want, but I can see it in your actions and attitude with her."

Sonic shrugged his shoulders. "Say what you want, but I don't like her like that."

"Whatever."

"Whatever…" Sonic mimicked, looking at the ground as he walked. "Give me a break, we were childhood friends…"

"I know. We were too at one point."

Sonic only sighed, agreeing with the dark one. "Guess a lot can change in a single night."

"Indeed..."

"Besides, if she was to become queen one day, she could easily change the rules of marrying prince's if she wished. Wasn't it you who said, 'Be the queen you were meant to be.'?"

"That's... not the same thing."

"Sure it isn't."

The two hedgehogs continued their pace until finally stopping at an old village. This was one of the smaller and poorer places in the kingdom of Ocovia. Around here, more crimes were committed and the King's hands basically untouched this part of his growing kingdom.

Sonic never knew why exactly this town had been the least of the King's worry when it came to keeping them under his thumb. Granted, this area did cause the most ruckus when it came to trying to overthrow the King.

Small town? Yeah, it was, but even small communities can create loud voices. For the King, these voices were something he wanted to silence and silence he did.

This village was basically starved and refused any care from the King for years. Ever since the King found out the village people were helping Sonic with his reckless attacks and attempts to over throw the royal family, the King's nearly cut them completely off. Forgetting them like a child who out grew his toys.

Sonic's been trying his best to get these people food and other necessary supplies to keep them going. But it's become more and more problematic this past year. A lot of other villages refusing to donate food to this village because of the stirred trouble it caused. So, Sonic resorted to stealing food for the most part.

The village was consistent of muddy and worn paths that acted as roads for these people. The road would sink your feet beneath the earth and soak anyone's toes. The buildings were made of old clay, that looked like it would collapse at a moments notice, but was roofed with straw to keep it from being top heavy. Though, the roofing did little in the wet seasons.

Shadow looked around, and nearly felt his nose crinkle from the ungodly smell. He didn't even want to know how dirty this village was, but he could assume from the pig-like stench.

"Welcome," Sonic said, "to Elvedon."

"This place stinks." Shadow said bluntly.

"Hey, watch it. This is where I was born. Lived here for a few years up until my training as a knight began."

"So, is your family here? I mean, I know your father's dead-'"

"Shadow," Sonic stopped the dark hedgehog, "lets not go there right now…"

"My apologies…" Shadow cleared his throat. "Anyway, what errands do you have here?"

"I have to give some people some homemade bread my Uncle made at the tavern." Sonic pulled out a bag from beneath his cape, handing a warm loaf to Shadow. "I want you to find someone who needs this while I give the rest to other hungry people."

"Why me?" Shadow asked annoyed.

"Because you need to realize the damage the King's done over the years. This is the only way I can show you. Make sure to be observant."

"Whatever-'"

"Halt!" Two men bolted towards Shadow and Sonic.

Sonic took notice of the men wearing the knights armor, and pulled his hood lower to his face. Shadow gazed at the knights, who looked surprised that he was in this village.

"Sir Shadow?" One of the men asked, looking to his buddy next to him, then back to Shadow. "What are you doing here? I thought you were on the hunt for the Winged Saber."

"I was, but then I ran into this old resident who… had info on the Winged Saber."

Sonic raised an eyebrow, but quickly understood and went along with Shadow's lie.

"Oh, you seek the Winged Saber, child?" Sonic changed his voice, making it sound like an old witch who was about to offer a poisoned apple. "I heard whispers of him in the Diamond Caverns. He hides there with the princess."

"You speak the truth?" One of the soldiers asked.

"Why of course." Sonic moved his hands frantically. "Big saber and a pink gal in a dress? Can't miss it."

"Well, you heard them. Go to the Diamond Caverns and search there while I continue my search in this village."

The knights shook their heads and made their way out the town.

Sonic waited for the knight's silhouettes to disappear before he turned back to Shadow, smirking. "Oh, you're such a liar."

"Shut up."

"Shadow The Hedgehog, lied for little ol' me?"

"I said shut up. We got errands to run."

" _We_?" Sonic continued to tease the poor knight.

"I'm going my own way to deliver this piece of bread. Just anything to get away from you."

Shadow made his distance and walked around the village as Sonic ran the opposite direction.

Taking a better look at this village's state, Shadow could see how rundown this place was. Besides everything mentioned earlier, he could also see a lot of moldy food scraps on the ground, where small mice were having practically their own Thanksgiving. Some children that ran past Shadow were dressed in old rags and were barefoot. Mud was basically their shampoo and body wash.

Shadow hated seeing any place in this sort of state, but to see it in Ocovia, it was hard to believe. Granted, maybe Sonic was trying to prove a point to Shadow: the King has a hard side of his own.

Shadow held the loaf of bread close to him, still feeling its warmth. "Give it to someone in need…"

Shadow suddenly felt eyes on him. He turned around and saw a little boy standing before him. He was a orange hedgehog, who was covered in muck, making his fur seem more brown than orange. His eyes were bright blue and held slight fear in them.

Shadow remembered this boy. He was the boy who's family helped Sonic escape and jump out their window. The pigs pin was their leading point in the search.

Those fear in the boy's eyes were something Shadow knew he created. He had tortured the boy's family to speak of the whereabouts of Sonic a few days ago.

The boy looked at Shadow and shook from the dark one's sight.

Shadow's eyes softened. He's never had a kid look so afraid of him. Granted, him and his knights did squeeze information out of him to find Sonic's location.

Shadow then remembered the conversation Sonic and he had the night before.

 _"How many people did he torture over the years just to find a small hint of where I was?"_ Sonic had asked him. Shadow was just proving his point. The King was striking fear into his people and Shadow couldn't help but feel bad for doing so.

Shadow bent down to the kid's level, removing his mask to let the boy actually see him. "I treated you and your family like dirt." Shadow's voice was soft and genuine as he spoke. "I was once a peasant myself. I shouldn't have been so harsh, especially to you. Do you find it in your heart to forgive me?"

The boy seemed to be thinking as he stared into Shadow's eyes. But his body loosened from its stiffness and the boy gave the knight a warm smile.

"I forgive you." The boy said with a hug, throwing Shadow off, but the knight returned the gesture.

"Hey, how about you have some warm bread to take home to your family?"

The boy then nodded at Shadow, taking the loaf. "Thank you… Sir Shadow." He said with a smile. The boy held firmly onto the loaf as if it was a new toy given to him.

Shadow at least knew he did something right here.

"You are friends with the Winged Saber?" The boy asked.

"Hm? Oh, sort of."

"My father was sent a note by the hero. He wanted him to make a weapon for someone. Can you deliver it to him for us?"

Shadow thought for a moment, not really wanting to help Sonic in any way. I mean, he was under the King's orders: bring the hedgehog back and his daughter. Nothing more, nothing less.

Wouldn't delivering a weapon be helping Sonic in his fight against the King?

Shadow didn't have much of a clue what was the right decision, but he let the thought drift aside of dishonoring his role as a knight. Instead he decided to take a different role: a role of a friend.

"I can do that."

The boy took the knight's hand and led him across town. There were a few times where the boy got lost and forgot his way, but then a light bulb would hit his head and he continue running. Eventually they did make it to the house.

Shadow walked in and examined the room he was in. It was a small living room with a few old chairs and tables. Candles were lit and lightly gleaming the room with some sort of light. There was nothing much besides that.

"Hold on. Let me get the weapon." The boy said with excitement and hurried to another room. He came back after a few moments, dragging something by the handle. It was covered in a protective cloth, but the size was enormous.

Shadow helped the boy and picked up the weapon's handle. "Nice and heavy, but light weight too?"

"The Winged Saber requested a weapon that would pack-a-punch." The boy balled his fist and punched the air. "My dad worked really really hard on it. So make sure whoever it's for, takes great care of it, okay?"

"I will," Shadow rubbed the child's head, "and thank you. Enjoy the bread and make sure to share with your family."

"Yes, sir!"

Sonic ran all around town delivering bread to several people. After getting the usual appreciation from the town and offering to sharpen his sword, he ran back toward the villages limit.

He ran along the mucky path and met back with Shadow, who was waiting by a tree. "Well, that took a tad longer than I thought. But the errands here should be done for now."

Sonic then noticed a handle leaning against the tree where Shadow stood. Shadow picked up the handle and held it out. "A boy told me to deliver this to you. He said his father had a personal request from you to make a weapon for someone."

"Oh," Sonic grabbed the handle, "yeah, this is Amy's weapon I promised I'd get her."

Sonic examined the weapon and weighted it with one hand. It wasn't too heavy, but it was enough to pack-a -punch for anyone who used it. In Amy's case, it was light enough for her to use as her weapon.

The weapon was a giant hammer. It was made from the strongest metal of the land, able to crack even steel. The weapon was designed to handle large amounts of shock waves and pressure it would have on it. Besides the necessities, Sonic had requested it be painted red and yellow. While they weren't 'manly colors', he knew Amy would probably appreciate the color choice in general.

"This is perfect for her."

"You got her a hammer?"

"Well," Sonic said, "She was alright using my sword, but she obviously felt awkward with it. I just… Had a feeling she would be accompany to a weapon like this. When she fights in the battle-""

"If she does." Shadow corrected.

"Right. If she does agree to help us in overthrowing the King, then she can have this hammer."

"Fine but let's hurry along and finish the rest of those errands you want to do."

Sonic nodded and they both journeyed on to their next destination. Well, not without picking fun with the dark hedgehog.

"I am Sonic, God of hammers! Thou shall fear me!"

Shadow watched him, annoyed but held so much effort in not letting a smile crack his frown.

"Sonic, shut up."

* * *

 **And there's chapter 7! This was a side chapter that I thought would be a little bit fun aside from the main focus of the story. Give some breathing room and character building with Shadow and Sonic. Giving a good hint on their past relationship when they were kids.**

 **Next Thursday Chapter 8 will be posted!**

 **Anyway, Thanks for reading and reviews are** **GREATLY** **appreciated!**


	8. The Beginning of the Truth

**Chapter 8: The Beginning of the Truth  
**

The sun rays gleamed on Amy's face as the morning dew started to dry on the bright green grass. The pink hedgehog sat up from her bed and rubbed her eyes.

"Hm," She felt the bandages on her abdomen, "Doesn't hurt as much. Almost feels like the pain from a bruise." Amy sighed for relief knowing that she was going to be fine.

It was a horrific moment for her several days ago. Everything had happened so fast and swift. She only wanted to stop the fighting, but ended up getting hurt in the process. She was happy Shadow and Sonic stopped going at each others throats, but now she has a stab wound and possibly a scar. Amy had never been stabbed before, well granted, she had only held a sword that very day Sonic taught her and when her royal guard showed up.

 _Sonic?_

Amy looked around the room but didn't see any sign of the blue hedgehog, nor did she see her royal guard.

"That's weird. Shadow usually would stay close by." Amy brushed her quills down, fixing her bed hair, and moved herself to the bed's edge. Amy slowly got to her feet, making sure she was well enough to do so. She was satisfied to know she was at least able to stand on her own feet again without making her stitches loosen.

A knock came to the door and the princess called the person in. Tails opened her door and gave her a welcoming smile.

"Good morning." He said. "I see that your already up and out of bed."

"Yeah, I'm kind of tired of being in bed for as long as I have."

"Well, I would advise longer, but I think your wounds are safe enough, at least, to move around. Just don't go overboard with lifting or, you know, going in front of swords."

Amy nodded her head and rubbed her stomach. "It feels a lot better."

"That's good." Tails held out Amy's morning attire. "I took the liberty to wash that dress since it was covered in blood. Good as new."

"Thank you." Amy took the garments from him. "Hey, so, where's Sonic?"

"Oh," The fox chuckled, "Sonic is out running errands. Been gone for a few days I think. I kind of lost track of time tending your injury."

"And Shadow?" Amy asked.

"Sonic dragged him along."

"Are you sure leaving those two on their own is safe. They tried to kill each other days ago. Twice if I may add."

"They're a lot closer than they lead on." Tails shook his head. "Besides, Sonic did say he was going to make Shadow run errands with him."

"Oh." Amy thought for a moment, having her curiosity get the best of her. "So, how did you and Sonic meet?"

"Heh, Sonic and I meet after he was banished by the King. We met along the road to his hometown. Ever since, we've been as close as Robin Hood and Little John."

"Who?"

"Uh- it's old legends told among the land. Never mind it." Tails looked at the princess. "So, how about you and Sonic?"

"I don't know. I've just… known him since I was little. I think his father introduced him to me."

"His father…"

Amy looked at Tails, seeing his smile fall and eyes soften. She could have sworn she saw his eyes get teary.

"Tails are you-'"

"Oh, never mind." He held his hands up, putting up a fake smile. "Why don't we get some breakfast from Uncle Chuck."

While Amy didn't like the idea of pushing aside what got the fox boy startled, she figured she would just ask Sonic when he got back. That is, if he actually tells her anything.

Yes, Amy was going to try her hardest to be patient, she couldn't help but be eager. She's waited five years to know the truth of what happened to her dear mother. Even if the truth had put Sonic in the guilty chair.

Amy thought back to what she thought a few days ago. She had claimed she would take Sonic's life herself if he was her mother's so-called murderer. Even if she wanted to, Amy wasn't sure if she could even bring herself to do so. Not only that, but what would her mother think?

 _Mother would be disappointed_ , Amy thought to herself. _She was always one to advise talking before taking action. She was such a great warrior for that kind of mindset._

Indeed, she was.

Amy followed Tails downstairs to the tavern. Luckily, there was not much people around, besides a drunk purple weasel under a table while his green bird friend and a yellow polar bear seemed to be comforting him. There also was an older, light blue, hedgehog who was attending the bar. The hedgehog she saw when she first came into the old tavern.

Amy decided to sit down in the corner of the tavern beside the fire place. It was warm and cozy enough for her not to feel like an outcast among, well, the outcast. The fire gave her some little comfort.

"I'll get Chuck to warm you up some fresh tea."

"That sounds nice." Amy watched as Tails walked to the older hedgehog, then she focused her attention on the fire. She watched the fire dance across the wood, flickering as it did so.

She let herself zone out for a few moments.

"Hey, miss." Amy jumped and blinked a few times at the older hedgehog that stood beside her. He held a glass cup of her tea.

His smile was sweet and genuine. Amy didn't notice until now how much this hedgehog look like Sonic. It was uncanny.

"Tea?" He offered.

"Oh," Amy felt embarrassed letting herself zone out, but she took the tea. "Thank you, mister."

"Call me Chuck. Heh, Uncle Chuck even. That's what everyone calls me here." His voice was full of life and cheer. "Hope you like it, though I must warn it might not be as good as your castle tea."

"I'm sure it's delicious." She took a sip and instantly felt more energy in her body. It had a strawberry taste to it, but also a drop of honey. It was delicious, dare she say, better than the tea back at home.

"You're a long ways home, princess."

"Yeah, well, you can thank Sonic for that."

Chuck smiled and lightly chuckled. "My apologies, my nephew can be a handful sometimes."

"Nephew?" Amy asked.

"Yes, Sonic's my nephew."

"Oh, so you're not his father." Amy rubbed her cup's rim. "Guess I should've known considering your age- Wait! I didn't mean it like that-'"

"No harm done, little lady." Chuck assured her, rubbing her back. "I know what you mean."

"Sorry…"

Chuck took a seat next to her, holding his hands together as he moved his attention to the fire bin. "His father, my brother, was my best friend. We were closer than bees and honey."

"That's a funny way to put it." She lightly laughed. "Was he and Sonic close?"

"As close a Father could be to his son." Chuck's expression fell, his eyes beaming with joy to suddenly dim its embers so quickly. Amy couldn't help but notice.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Chuck didn't say anything or move for that matter. He seemed to be so lost in his own thoughts of his brother.

"Chuck," Amy reached out to him and held his shoulder, shaking him lightly. Chuck shook his head and looked back at the girl, who held concern in her eyes.

"Yeah… I'm fine, little lady."

Amy figured it was wiser to leave the subject be, it seemed to bring out the worse in two people today. Again, she thought to just ask Sonic about it when he came home. Granted, she wouldn't be surprised if he said nothing either. She just wondered why exactly was mentioning Sonic's father a touchy subject.

 _Maybe he died?_ Amy asked herself, not really sure what to think.

Chuck finally looked back to her, having the light return to his eyes. "Enjoy your tea, miss." He turned around, Amy followed his direction of sight, seeing the tavern's door open and showing two silhouette's of hedgehogs. "Seems to me that my nephew returned."

Chuck excused himself and went back to attending the bar. Amy watched as Tails and Knuckles welcomed Sonic home, as if he was a father coming back home to his kids from a long day at work. Shadow, to no surprise, stood there awkwardly and walked to where the princess sat.

He stood beside her, his posture as professional as ever. "Princess, I pray you were taken well care of?"

"I was, Shadow." She said, smiling between sips. "Where did he take you?"

"That hedgehog dragged me all over the kingdom." He complained and let out a low growl.

"Oh? Was it fun?"

"No, but I had my own business to do with a kid." Shadow's eyes fell to the floor, then back at the princess. "Anyway, Sonic was helping the community for the most part."

Amy remembered Sonic stating he knew her people better than her and her father. Knowing what he was doing today, for god knows how many years, made what he said a lot more sense. It only made Amy feel worse. He was doing his part to fix some damage control, while she did nothing because of her limited ability and knowledge.

"How bad is it?"

"There's an entire community who is basically starving and living in mud." Shadow said. "Suppose it's the King's way to show authority and dominance."

"It's still not right." Amy spoke, raising her voice. "To punish a village like that for standing up for what they believe is right."

"I understand what you're saying, princess, but I also understand why the King made that motion."

"So, you think what he's doing is fair?"

"I'm not saying that. I'm just saying, both sides have a fair reasoning for what they're doing."

"I suppose…" Amy looked back to Sonic, who was walking to her table carrying something covered in cloth.

"I see you're well."

"Better than I have been for a few days." Amy spoke to Sonic, then looked at the item on the table. "What's this?"

"Oh," Sonic pushed the item closer to Amy, "this, my dear, is the weapon I had made for you."

For me?" Amy asked, smiling at the blue hedgehog. "Sonic, that's sweet of you. Thank you."

"Well, don't thank me until you opened it! Open it!"

"Okay, okay." Amy laughed and unwrapped the cloth, revealing a giant red and yellow hammer. It had to be as long as Amy herself. It was huge!

"Well?"

"It's.. massive." Amy simply said. "Will I even be able to hold it, Sonic?"

"Oh yeah," Sonic waved his hand down, "This is almost as light as a feather, but it holds enough wait for you not to be too heavy."

Amy was slightly confused on the weapon choice. She thought for sure she was getting a sword. Everything seemed to tell her a sword was the way to go. Amy thought she impressed him with her swordsmanship. How is she supposed to use this in a sword fight? Why did Sonic go with a hammer of all things?

"I thought I was getting a sword." Amy noted. "I mean, I never held a hammer. Wouldn't a sword be wiser since I just practiced with one?"

"See, I thought so too," Sonic patted the hammer's handle, "but then I remembered something about your mother."

Amy seemed a little taken back, but she was interested. "And that would be?"

"Your mother," the blue hedgehog started, "never wielded a sword. Never in her life."

"What?"

"Your mother always went to battle with a hammer. Now hers was not as big as this, but hers was so powerful and everyone feared the weapon more than one would fear a sword." Sonic gave her a small smile. "And…I thought Athena would be honor to have her daughter have a weapon that could rival her own."

Amy felt her eyes water and lips slightly quiver, but quickly rubbed her eyes not wanting to show her emotions in the middle of this. She just never knew that about her mother, and to have Sonic do something that special for Amy? That… that meant the world to her.

Sonic noticed the princess' tears, slightly panicked, and bent down to her level. "Hey, I wasn't trying to make you sad-'"

"No," Amy spoke between tears, "I love it. Thank you, Sonic." Amy traced her hands on the handle of her hammer, smiling to herself. It's like her mother was actually with her...

"I think she would love it too." Shadow suddenly spoke out, giving the princess a slight smile that was quick to miss. But Amy saw it.

Sonic sighed in relief, but quickly felt his stomach turn. "Hey, Amy? Now that your better-'"

"You're ready to talk."

"Yeah, I am." Sonic looked at the dark knight, holding a stern look and motioning his head for Shadow to move on. Shadow took the hint.

"I'm getting a drink." The dark one bowed his head, excusing himself.

"Don't drink too much." Amy warned.

"No promises, princess."

Amy huffed and turned her attention back to Sonic, who pulled a chair close to the fire. Amy finished her tea, grabbed her chair and pulls it beside his.

Sonic didn't say anything for a few minutes, but Amy let him collect his thoughts instead of making him rush out his confession. Though, he had several days to prepare himself.

Amy decided she would speak first.

"My father told me he woke up one night to a scream and thud." Sonic continued to stare off, but Amy went on. "He said when he woke up, he noticed mother wasn't in bed. That I had ran out of my room one-night screaming for him. Then his advisor came in telling him she was dead."

Amy looked at Sonic and leaned forward to draw his eyes back to her. Sonic avoided it, but slowly moved his emeralds to her jades, making him slowly open his closed doors back to her. "Sonic, he said he found you holding a knife over her… her dead body."

"That's not true- I mean, it is but it's not."

"Then tell me what is true." Amy held his hands and gave them a squeeze. Sonic watched her and rubbed her own hands with his thumbs. "Sonic, just tell me everything. Speak, and I'll listen to every word."

Sonic stared at her, not losing eye contact as she held his palms.

It was now or never.

"It all started the night before I was to be knighted as your royal guard. The air was so thin, and the night seemed to drag itself for an eternity. Something about this particular day seemed off, not sure what it was, but something didn't seem right. Something evil was lurking above my shoulders…"

* * *

 **ANNNNNND there's Chapter 8!**

 **Sorry for the late post today. It was suppose to go up midnight this Thursday, but I had to move it later in the afternoon... Mainly because I've been busy with Stardew Valley during my fall break.**

 **Also another accomplishment ~ This story is 100 views away from 2,000 views all together! That's awesome, guys! Y'all are seriously amazing!**

 **Another side note: My new story, The Phantom Mantle staring Infinite, is up and live. Should have chapter 2 up sometime tomorrow! Check it out if you're interested.  
**

 **Next Thursday Chapter 9 will be posted and reveal the truth behind Athena's death!**

 **~Anyway, Thanks for reading and reviews are GREATLY appreciated!**


	9. Truth Holds a Knife, Part 1

**Chapter 9: Truth Holds a Knife, Part 1  
**

 **5 Years Ago, at the Castle:**

Sonic marched and held his chest as high as a young boy could as he followed his father around the halls. He tried to move his feet in sync with the knight that walked in front of him. Every step they took was like something you'd hear in a theater's musical.

 ** _CLICK, CLANK, CLANK._**

 ** _CLICK, CLANK, CLANK._**

Sonic would every now and then skip a step and jump on the tile as though he was playing hopscotch.

The little hedgehog smiled a signature grin he was too well known for. "This is fun, Father!"

"It's much more than fun, my son." The knight looked at his son, seeing his smile turn to a frown.

"Really?"

"Yes," Jules said, "it's also about protecting our King and Queen of this kingdom."

"And the Princess." Sonic said with a slight blush to his face as he showed his white pearls once more.

Jules smiled and rubbed his son's quills. "Yes, and the princess."

"So, what are we doing today, Father?"

"Today, I want you to be by my side as we discuss our next move with possible war on another land."

"Why?" The young hedgehog asked as he fixed the belt that held his sword. He's been fiddling with that thing since the morning.

"My son," Jules bent down to Sonic, tightening the strap around his waist, "this will determine whether you shall fight in your first battle or not. It's important you be there and learn how everything works." His eyes softened when he looked at his son. "Don't you want to replace me as a knight one day?"

"I want more than that, Father." Sonic held his fist to his sides. "I want to make you proud!"

Jules couldn't help but smile at his son. He was always talking about proving himself and showing he was as strong as his father. But Jules has always been proud of his son. Even when he first took breath into this world.

"Sonic, you have always made me proud. You will no doubt make a strong warrior one day."

"Thanks, Papa."

"Now," Jules stood once more, "Lets be on our way. We have a boring meeting to attend to."

"Uh…. Yay..?"

"That's the spirit."

Jules walked about the halls of the castle until he finally reached the Queen's study. Inside there was a table made just for planning out battles and mapping out strategies. The map went on for miles and showed at least three other Kingdoms that were all around Ocovia.

The King and Queen also stood above the map, seeming to already be in discussion of strategies. Though, it seemed it was more of an argument than anything.

"Athena, we can't just ignore what this Kingdom has done." Andriet shouted, slamming his fist on the table. It made a loud thud, making the whole table move. Sonic jumped back and held onto Jules' dark hooded cape.

"And we can't just throw swords and arrows at people if they do wrong." Athena spoke to her husband, raising her voice slightly as she did so. "This will cause nothing but unnecessary bloodshed."

"And what if they steal from us again? What then?" He asked, gritting his teeth.

"Then we handle it with an appropriate matter."

"Appropriate matter my a-'"

"Your Majesties." Jules interrupted, not wanting his son to hear too much of foul language. Might still be a bit young for that.

Athena, relieved to have someone barge in on the heated argument, welcomed the two inside. "Please come in."

Andriet grumbled and growled under his breath but was silenced when Athena gave him a quick glare.

Jules gave an awkward smile but walked to the table with Sonic not far behind. "So, what are we planning."

"Well," Andriet started, "The Kingdom of Acorn stole a lot of our goods from our merchants. That shouldn't be excused."

"Andriet, you have no idea if they did that to help feed their people." Athena pointed out.

"They can grow their own food."

"Andriet!" Athena held her hands to her hips. "Don't you dare be that way."

"They shouldn't steal from us. This is an act of war."

"This is foolish." Athena sighed, looking back to the older knight. "Jules, my apologies for our argument."

"My Queen, there is no need to apologize." Jules reassured. "I just need to know if I need to be ready and prepare my son for battle."

"Ah, you mean the trainee?" Andriet asked, looking past Jules at Sonic. "Oh, yes. That's the one who's fighting for the honor to guard my daughter."

"That is correct." Sonic stepped forward, holding a straight stance with his hands at his sides. He tried so hard to make himself look serious, but he also made his cheeks puff out like a fish. More cute than serious.

The King didn't seem convinced in the slightest and just gave the kid a blank glance. Athena had hit his arm, hoping to wipe the look off his face. But the King didn't even take notice of his wife at that moment.

"I wouldn't get your hopes up. Shadow is a prodigy and already a well-trained knight. He was able to wield a sword at the age of 5. What did you do?"

"It doesn't matter, Andriet." Athena spoke up. "This boy saved my life without hesitation. That is worthy of a knight more than a prodigy."

"What a naive thing to say." Andriet said with disgust.

This led into another argument between the couple. Jules stood there, not wanting to be rude and try to get in the middle of the fight, but he also did not want his son to see this right now.

"You are always like this, Athena." He said.

"And you are always one-sided. You never see things in a bigger way."

"I don't need to."

"You are just war hungry."

"And you are just trying to limit my power. You think you are King here? No, I am King."

"That may be so, but I am not here to be someone for you to boss around."

"All you've done is boss me around, Athena!" He yelled holding his fist up.

Athena didn't back down and stood in his face. "We are a team."

"We are not a team. You have been taking lead since we were married. No more."

"Andriet, this is not the time." Athena finally said, looking back at the hedgehogs. "Jules, we will not rage war today with this Kingdom. We will address this in a more civil manner."

"Yes, my Lady." Jules bowed.

"That will be all." The Queen stated, turning her attention back to the King, who was already throwing papers in the air.

Jules didn't hesitate to rush him and his son out of the room. This was getting to be too much, even for the older knight. Probably just in time too, because as soon as they left, more arguing became apparent for that room.

Who knows how long that lasted.

Sonic's no stranger to seeing adults argue. He's seen his father and mother do so a few times. Granted, they were short, and they would apologize after a few moments. Other times they would discuss it in another room while Sonic sat on Uncle Chuck's lap as he told the boy stories.

The young hedgehog's seen the King and Queen fight before, but not to this extent. It only seemed to have gotten worse as the years go by.

For as long as Sonic could remember, Athena has always been the main powerhouse of this castle. She led wars, she made major political discussions that a King would normally do and was basically the figure head of Ocovia. She always has been since she married Andriet.

Sonic didn't know much about King Andriet, but what he did know was little information from his Uncle Chuck.

 _"_ _Oh, yes. He was never really interested in becoming King as a kid."_ He would say. _"But once he eventually got more into the groove of it once he married. But Athena held more authority and security than the King himself."_

Sonic still had a lot of learning to do when it came to knowing how royal business worked, but he's doing the best he can at the moment.

Well, when he's not playing with the princess that is.

"I'm sorry, Sonic." Jules apologized. "I didn't think they were be fighting as bad as they were."

"It's okay, Papa. But what are we going to do if we don't have a battle to prepare for?"

"Well, I suppose you will be on watch duty for the rest of the day."

"Again…?"

"Sonic, trust me. This is an important job to become a knight. You want to become a knight don't you?"

"Yeah!" Sonic jumped up. "More than anything, Papa."

"Then you must do simple duties as these. You'll get to do more fun jobs once you get the chance" Jules had said, though he knew his son was going to be the royal guard regardless. Queen Athena and Jules had talked about arrangements to knight the boy by morning without the King's consent.

"Okay, Papa."

"Besides, don't you want to protect the princess?" Jules teased, nudging his son's shoulder.

"H-Hey, that's not funny. I don't like her."

"My boy, I never said you did."

Sonic's cheeks turned a light shade of pink. He folded his arms and puffed out his cheeks in frustration. He looked like a mad pink pufferfish.

"You act just like I did when my father teased me when I met your mother."

"Ew, gross. I don't want to talk about that, Papa!" Sonic let his head hang back, letting his quills drag behind him. He knew he was just going to get another love story that would drag on and on.

"Your mother was the most beautiful hedgehog I'd ever seen."

And there he goes.

For the rest of the day, Sonic mainly followed Jules around and helped him with various tasks. Eventually, the older knight had to leave Sonic to his own duty.

Sonic had nightly guard duty, like a lot of younger knights who start off in the castle to get used to things. This was just part of their training.

Along with Sonic, another younger hedgehog had to be on guard duty as well. This was his competitor, Shadow the Hedgehog. He too was fighting to prove himself to be the Princess' royal guard.

Like most nights, they would patrol the castle's halls and keep watch of any suspicious activity, which never happened. There were rarely any enemies for the King and Queen. So, really, there was nothing to guard except for the occasional moth that would fly in through the windows.

"Watching duty is boring." Sonic complained, letting his feet drag himself.

"It's our job."

"Not really. It's more of a thing we have to do to prove ourselves, Shad."

"Uh-Huh," Shadow rolled his eyes, "and you seem to be not proving yourself worthy of being a knight."

"Hey, cut me some slack. I'm tired."

"We are all tired."

"So serious," Sonic jokingly sang, "and here I thought you would be fun today."

"Focus."

"I'm focusing!"

"No you're not."

"Am too."

"Are not-'"

"Am too."

"Sonic, I am not doing this."

"Doing what, Shad?"

"Sonic."

Sonic gave up and held his hands up, but still laughed. "Come on, can't you take a joke? Just having some fun."

"This isn't a game. This is a serious job."

"I get it." Sonic felt a sweat drop to his head.

Sonic's never really known Shadow to be nothing more than serious. That's just how he was. Sonic wasn't exactly sure why he acted like that all the time, but he tried not to hold it against him.

It could be the pressured that's put on him to become the royal guard everyone wants him to be. Seems to be what everyone wants. He's always been he King's favorite and all the knights love him. Everyone only seemed to tolerate Sonic. The only ones who really cheered him on were his family, Athena and the princess herself.

But when you put that against Shadow's, it simply doesn't compare.

Sonic wants to be the royal guard. That's been a dream of his since his father became a knight. He just wants to make him proud. But, there's little hope when there's someone like Shadow blocking his dream.

"So," Sonic started, "Why do you want to be the royal guard?"

"I already told you."

"I'm just trying to break the silence. Besides, all you told me was, 'I want to defend my honor.'"

"I do." Shadow looked at Sonic. "I must be the royal guard to prove my worth in this world."

"That's a weird way to put it." Sonic chuckled and lightly punched the dark one's shoulder. "You always say weird things. That's why I like you."

"This is why I don't like you."

"Keep saying that, bud. I know we will be great friends one day or maybe, we already are." Sonic teased, winking at Shadow.

"Focus." Shadow warned.

"Focusing." Sonic fixed his attention back to his duty, but quickly got bored again. "Hey, I'm going to split up to the west wing of the castle. I need to move my feet somewhere else."

"Fine, just don't go do anything stupid."

"I won't." Sonic waved him off and sped through the halls. He ran as fast as he could and did a few tricks and jumps off the walls.

Yes, he knew that would get him in huge trouble with his father, but he just couldn't resist.

Sonic eventually made it to the west wing of the castle. Around here, the Queen, King, and other important figures rested here. The main hall here had some branch offs that led to different areas. But Sonic, for the most part, stayed in the main hall of the wing.

Sonic walked the halls, but suddenly felt the air become thin and heavy. Suddenly he felt his feet become heavy and slow. Shadowy objects started to look like they were moving as the moon hid behind the clouds. There was silent thunder starting to roll in.

The young hedgehog wasn't sure what he was feeling right now. He just knew, something felt off. Something evil was lurking the halls.

Sonic immediately felt instincts kick into hyperdrive and he pulls out his short-ended sword. He looked all around him but did not see any sight of danger.

He pressed on through the long halls until he met a dead end that led to another hall. That's when he heard the sound of a metal object being pulled out from a holder. That distinct sound any knight would recognize.

Sonic quickly spud around but was met with nothing once more. Just the sound of thunder and shadows creeping about.

He knew he heard something and he was going to get to the bottom of it.

Sonic forced himself to continue his search and turned to the other hall that met the dead-end. Here is where Amy's room was located.

The young hedgehog, as soon as he turned into this very hall, immediately froze to his feet. Everything felt cold and heavy. The room seemed to suddenly freeze in time and any sound that was heard before, was silenced.

Sonic's eyes shook in horror at the sight in front of him. A pool of blood leaking among the cracks of the castle's floor. A knife laid as an island in the blood as it flowed. A woman laid in the blood as though it were a blanket she simply rested on.

And not just any woman: Queen Athena.

Sonic looked at her body as it laid lifeless and still. He didn't have to go near her to know that she was dead. The Queen was dead.

The blue hedgehog blinked and stepped backwards into something cold. Sonic was immediately stopped and grabbed by his shoulders.

Whoever held him, gripped onto him so hard that it made the boy feel like he was being crushed to death.

Sonic didn't want to look to his holder, but he did want to look at the face of the one who harmed the Queen. The only one to had real effect on whether he became a knight or not, and she was gone.

Sonic hesitated but forced himself to look behind him and he was stunned.

This man was tall and had short pink quills that were spiked up. He had a small path of chest fur on his chest and wore a dark red cape that fell to his feet. His eyes… His eyes were cold and as dark as the shadows that lurked behind him. Even still, they glowed with such fury and hatred as they stared into Sonic's eyes. They seemed to just enjoy the boys fear in his shaken pupils.

The man who stood before him had blood on his hands that were soaked into his gloves. Some blood could also be seen on his fur.

"M-My King…" Sonic stuttered, frozen in terror.

A smirk snaked on Andriet's face as he looked at the young hedgehog. He gazed at Sonic like he was a snack or… a perfect opportunity for something devious and evil.

"You came just in time, boy."

* * *

 **ANDDD There's Chapter 9 y'all!**

 **Whew, I've been waiting to reveal this since the beginning XD Giving subtle hints here and there.**

 **This is part 1 and part 2 should come next Thursday and will further explain why Sonic's being pulled into the blame of things.**

 ** **~Anyway, Thanks for reading and reviews are GREATLY appreciated! ;-)  
****


	10. Truth Holds a Knife, Part 2

**Chapter 10: Truth Holds a Knife, Part 2**

"M-My King…"

"You came just in time, boy."

"Y-Your hands…" Sonic pointed out, taking a step back from Andriet. "Is that… blood?"

Andriet looked at his hands and chest, seeing the blood didn't even seem to faze him. Sonic saw him smirk and look back at the young hedgehog. "Yes, I suppose it is."

"You killed the Queen…" Sonic said in disbelief, even his own words made it hard for him to process it all.

"I did and, believe me, it was rather easy if I may add. I figured such a warrior like her would put up more of a fight. What shame."

Sonic couldn't believe what he was hearing. Everything was coming at him so fast, making his stomach suddenly hard to hold his late-night dinner.

Nothing was making sense for Sonic. Why… Why would the King kill his own wife? It couldn't be because of a simple argument. That's nothing out of the ordinary for them…

Something was not adding up for the blue hedgehog.

"W-Why…," Sonic seemed to be asking himself, but the King had no problem in answering.

"Why?" Andriet laughed, grabbing Sonic's attention back to him. "Child, she was something that stood in the way of this kingdom's true potential."

"You killed her…"

"The kingdom needs a king to rule, not Athena. She only acted like a king. What a foolish woman."

"You killed her for power!" Sonic yelled, gripping his fists so tight that it made his knuckles white.

"I suppose you could say that."

"You monster-'" Sonic grabbed the hilt of his sword and charged at the King. Andriet smirked, predicting the boy's movement and stopped Sonic's blade with his own.

"Tsk, tsk." Andriet shook his head. "And here I thought you'd agree. However, you did take favorites with my wife. I bet that was because she was the little bit of hope you needed to have a chance being a knight. Isn't that right?"

Sonic tried to push the King back with his blade, but Andriet held more strength than he. Before he knew it, Andriet had forced Sonic's back to the wall. He held his blade close to the boy's neck as he held him in place.

Sonic kicked his feet as he dangled off the floor. It had to be the most vulnerable Sonic had ever been in his life.

"I admire your fighting effort." Andriet watched the hedgehog struggle in amusement.

"I-I'll tell everyone what you did." Sonic proclaimed. "I'll tell everyone you're a murdering power hungry-'"

"You won't." Andriet said confidently, watching Sonic's eyes shake.

"Y-You're going to kill me…?"

"No, that would be too easy. Besides your father would expect me of that."

Sonic didn't say anything for a moment. What scared Sonic was what the King had planned for him.

If he wasn't going to kill Sonic, what then?

"You came at a perfect time, Sonic."

"W-What are you-'"

"Instead of people suspecting this of my doing, I'm putting the blame on you. You are responsible for her death. You will be blamed for it and take it as is."

"And what if I don't, huh?" Sonic glared into his eyes, igniting a fire that burned into the King's. "You can't make me."

"I can and will. Do you want to know why, Sonic?"

"…. W-Why…?"

"Because if you don't pretend you murdered Athena, I will kill your father."

"No…" Sonic's eyes were painted in pure fear and panic. The only parent he had left, could vanish in a blink of an eye. Sonic's father meant the world to him and to have him gone… It was too much for the young boy.

"I know he means a lot to you. You wouldn't want to have him gone too, would you?"

"I-I…" Sonic was speechless and wasn't sure what was the right choice to do. But he loved his family more than anything. If he had to be committed for something he didn't do, just to protect his father, then so be it.

Sonic gazed back at the King, who held some twisted-up pride in his eyes. He must have felt some kind of power and authority pushing Sonic to do something like this… Something's not right with him…

"What would you have me do," Sonic sighed in defeat, which only fueled Andriet.

"That's what I like to hear." His grip on Sonic became tighter, nearly feeling like he was warning the young hedgehog physically. "You will take that knife and stay with that body until a servant comes."

"T-Then what…?"

"Then you will be arrested and hanged for treason."

"T-Treason…H-Hanged?" Sonic's throat suddenly felt dry and tight. "Y-You said-'"

"I said I wouldn't kill your father. I never said you would live."

He was right.

Sonic didn't like the idea of death, but he liked it a whole lot more than seeing his father die. No, Jules deserved better than that to Sonic.

"F-Fine…" Sonic agreed. "Just leave my father out of this."

"You have my word." The King loosened his grip. "Unless you choose to turn on our agreement."

"I won't."

"I know you won't." Andriet warned.

Sonic felt so much shame at this moment. He almost felt as if he actually killed the queen. He never thought he would let someone just use him like this. But he had little choice here and being as young as he was, he couldn't help but be scared and frighten into these rash circumstances. He was only ten years old…

"Now, get into your position and stay there." Andriet commanded, letting Sonic drop to the floor.

"Y-Yes, your majesty…." Another slap in the face to letting the King see Sonic in complete defeat.

Andriet waited until Sonic had crouched over the Queen's body to depart back to his bedroom. He had to make sure everything fell in place here. Not one thing had to go wrong.

Sonic watched Andriet disappear within the Shadows of the hall, letting his demons engulf him for the night.

Sonic looked at the body before him. The Queen laid so still and motionless. Her long pink quills laid in her own pool of blood. Her dress also was wet from her wound, stained with such rich red colors.

The boy could also see a dried tear that must have fell from her eyes, knowing the love of her life would be her undoing.

Sonic could not even imagine the pain she felt from that before she realized she was going to die.

The blue hedgehog grabbed the knife that punctured Athena's abdomen, gripping hard onto the handle. Sonic then wiped some of her blood onto his body. He hated the idea of this, but he had to make it believable enough. If he didn't he was sure his father was dead.

After this, Sonic gazed at his reflection in the pool of blood. He felt his eyes soften, but then quickly hated what he saw. He saw someone weak and unworthy of anything.

"How could I… How could I let this happen…" Sonic felt his throat tighten, stopping the tears before they formed in his eyes.

Footsteps were heard soon enough, and Sonic felt his body freeze. Every step he heard was like listening to a loud grandfather clock, counting down to his time of death.

 ** _TICK, TICK, TICK_**

The echoes just kept getting louder and louder. Voices bouncing in and out of his head.

 ** _TICK, TICK, TICK_**

Shadows formed and walked down the halls. Every second that passed made the shadows grow taller and taller against the lighted candles. They towered the halls and were just about ready to engulf Sonic into total darkness.

The clock finally strikes the deadly twelve and everything is dead silent.

 ** _FWIIIING_**

All eyes were on Sonic as three servants saw the bloody scene before them. Everything felt like slow motion, even the screams of the maids was long and slow.

Sonic knew, this was his end here.

"The Queen… The Queen is dead!" Sonic heard one of the servants' shout and dash away so fast. The other servants froze in disbelief and stuttered at their own words. This was followed by a high pitched scream.

Wait, no. He knew that screech.

Sonic turned around and saw a small pink hedgehog's back running down the hall toward her father's bedroom door. The princess saw her mother… She saw her dead mother. This should never be something a little girl should see.

Sonic wasn't sure if she saw him, but he knew she saw Athena.

"Amy…"

More footsteps ran about the hallway. Suddenly both sides of the hall were crowded with most of the servants and even guards. Every single one of them had nothing but horror painted on their faces. Some which quickly changed to tears or rage.

The King pushed through the crowd, with Johnathan not too far behind.

Andreit had just enough time to clean himself up and make it look like he was just woken up from a beautiful dream. Sonic could guess that dream had something to do with murder. No way did this monster have what everyone calls pleasant dreams.

"You killed my wife." The King nearly spoke emotionless. "You killed her!"

"I…," Sonic stuttered, but decided to stay silent at the moment. He did not want to blurt out anything that would get his father killed.

"I should've known you would do this. This will not stand." Andriet gripped his fist and pointed his finger to Sonic. "Guards arrest him!"

With that simple command, four guards had grabbed and tackled Sonic to the floor. One guard held his head to the floor while the other three scrambled to put chains on his feet. They knew they had to stabilize his speed first. Sonic didn't even fight back, he just stared at the floor, too ashamed to look at anyone.

"What's going on?" Jules had pushed through the servants to the King. "My King?"

"Your son killed my wife."

Jules blinked and looked at the body that laid on the floor. Sonic could feel his father's eyes on him, but he dared not to look back.

"There has to be some kind of… My son would never do something like this."

"Silence!" Andriet yelled. "Servants found him holding a knife over her body. Who else is there to blame? The truth holds the knife here."

"This can't be…"

"Accept it, Jules." Andriet spat, gritting his teeth. "My wife... she's gone."

He obviously had no issues lying to everyone. Sonic could assume it probably wasn't eating him alive. If he was more than okay with killing off his wife for his lust for control and power, it wouldn't surprise Sonic one bit. But, even not having done this crime, Sonic felt so much guilt and like he betrayed everyone's trust.

"I want this hedgehog locked up tight. You hear me?" Andriet barked at the guards.

"Sonic… Sonic!?" Jules had called out to his son with so much pain behind it. Other guards had to hold him back from going after Sonic.

Sonic felt that hit his chest and so many emotions came in all at once. Wanting to prove his father worthy of being a knight, to be strong and someone to be proud of, was thrown straight out a window at an instant. For the first time in a long time, Sonic felt like a complete failure and let the only person he truly cared for their approval on, disappointed.

Sonic couldn't help but think of his father's disappointment. Everything he worked so hard to do for him, gone. He thought he was doing good by taking the blame, but now, Sonic saw that he might've made the biggest mistake in his life.

And in that instant, Sonic let his emotion show through tears and he cried.

"Father!?"

Jules fought back with his fellow knights as they tried to overpower him with their numbers. He too was finally forced to the ground, watching in horror as his only child was suddenly dragged away. His very life, his light in the dark, was taken away from him and there was nothing he could do about it.

Or so he thought...

The dungeon held a lot of secrets and things for any royal to hide. It was cold, damp, and simply just a lonely place to be. Rats were just about the only comfort you would get here, besides the occasional animal skulls of past prisoners who were forgotten in these cells.

Sonic did nothing but sit on the cold floor. It was about the only place he could sit. The King didn't give him the luxury of having somewhere comfortable to sit. No, he had no heart for that, not even for a kid.

The young hedgehog had his feet and arms chained to the floor. The feeling of the chains weighing him down as he awaited his death was all but comforting. It felt heavy enough to weigh him down to Hell.

Sonic hugged his legs, looking at the floor as he felt a leak from the ceiling hit his head occasionally. It made him shiver and hold himself tighter.

He was already missing the warmth of his family's embrace.

Time was hard to tell down here. There weren't any windows for the prisoners to see. Even if there was, Sonic was sure he wouldn't be able to look at with these chains preventing him from doing much movement anyway. It could've been three days pass already and Sonic would have no clue.

One thing he did know, was that, maybe a day ago, the King was having his wife's funeral. Loud music was playing. That much Sonic could hear besides some weeping above his head of possibly the servants.

What a mess he got himself into.

Sonic heard footsteps scramble down the stairway and the door shriek as it opened. The young hedgehog was ready to accept his fate, but it seemed to dwindle when he saw, not guards, but his own father.

"Papa," Sonic's head lifted up, feeling his heart skip seeing someone he could trust, "what are you doing here?"

"My son, I know…" Jules started, "I know it wasn't you."

Sonic blinked, not really sure what to say next.

"Wait, you know I didn't kill the Queen?"

"Yes. I heard the King talk to himself a few times about wishing she was dead in the past… In his studies he'd sometimes ramble on about it. I don't know why I didn't warn her or read these signs."

"Father, I don't want to die…"

"I know and don't worry. We're going to get you out."

"We?" Sonic asked confused.

"Your Uncle Chuck is working on an escape for you right now. We all are leaving with haste."

"But what about being a knight. Your duty is here."

"My duty, Sonic, has always been to be your father and take care of you. That is my duty."

Sonic couldn't help but smile.

"Now, let's get you out-'"

Suddenly Jules grabbed the bars and screamed in pain. He held a hand over his chest, where Sonic saw blood leak through.

"Father?!" Sonic got up from the floor. "What's wrong-'" Sonic's eyes shrunk once more, watching the knife that killed Athena drop to the stone floor. Seeing Jules bend over in pain, revealed Andriet standing over his body.

"Guess we have another to be rid of the evidence."

"Father!" Sonic leaped forward, but the chains held him away from Jules' reach, yanking him back. "No, no! You won't die! You can't!"

At that moment, Jules looked back to his son and gave him a warm smile. Sonic felt his eyes water as he pulled on the chains that held him back.

"F-Father…?"

"I love you, Sonic… Don't you ever forget that…" Jules clinched his wound, but still coughed out one last breath. "I-I'm so proud…." Jules eyes were heavy, and his body fell hard to the floor letting it comfort his now passed body.

Sonic screamed in agony, letting the tears roll from his eyes. He had no shame in letting his enemy see him at his weakest.

He lost his father. Forever.

"He got blood on my shoes." Andriet spat on Jules, making Sonic grit his teeth.

"You monster! Do you know what you have done!?" Sonic screamed between his sobs. His heart, his soul, everything hurt.

"I eliminated a threat." Andriet held out the keys, opening the cell door. He walked over Jules, toward the young hedgehog who still cried at the sight of his father. Sonic didn't even realized the King in front of him until he felt his cold hands suddenly grab his throat. Andriet forced Sonic to the ground while holding and tightening his grip on the child's neck.

"I-I trusted-'" Sonic gasped for air, trying to fight back as much as he could.

"An unwise decision to trust me, Sonic. Now your life will die in my hands as well and so will that baggage. My legacy will live on."

"I-It'll die… I'll destroy you and your legacy…."

"Cute statement to say before you die, child." He tightens his grip, watching Sonic's lungs beg for air.

Everything became hazy and his eyes were becoming harder to open. Sonic felt his body start to leave him and felt himself become heavy.

Sonic's whole life suddenly started to replay in his head. Starting from his father's death and moving itself backwards. Sonic was not sure if this was him meeting death, but it seemed like a slight blissful thing at this moment.

The flashes of his past flooded more and more as he felt his body drift off. He saw himself holding his sword for the first time and training with his father. Watching the older hedgehog wield such a saber was something to watch. He saw Uncle Chuck reading him bedtime stories about knights and dragons. Sonic could see so much joy in his eyes as he read to his nephew.

Oh, how peaceful that was.

Sonic then watched another scene from his past where he held his mother's hand before she passed. She had so much life, even before an illness took her very life. Her smile, was something Sonic could never forget.

Finally, the images stopped, and Sonic saw himself running with such speeds, the wind blowing in his quills and grass breezing along. The world was slow when he ran. Everything seeming motionless as he moved his feet.

Sonic looked forward, seeing his father and… and his mother waiting for him on the other side. Some sort of light seemed to be awaiting behind them both as well.

Every step Sonic took made that light shine brighter and brighter, his body drifting more as he pushed toward that light.

"Not yet, my little Knight of the Wind." A soft female voice spoke, knocking Sonic's sense of speech.

"M-Mother.."

"My son, you have a duty to fulfill with that princess. It is not yet your time." Jules said.

"Mother, father!?" Sonic yelled for them, but he felt his feet moving backward now instead of forward. His feet was moving him away from his death.

"We love you, son." His father spoke with a smile.

"We love you very much, dear."

"N-No, wait! Let me come with you." Sonic begged, feeling the force of, whatever it was, pushing him further away from them. "I don't want to lose you again! Not again!"

"You haven't, Sonic." Jules and his mother held up their hands, giving Sonic a small wave. "You never did…"

Sonic was pushed back away from the light and, once more, saw his childhood flash before his eyes again, but in forward. All his memories hitting his head hard like his brain was reprocessing it all to his mind. It almost felt like headbutting someone constantly without end. Everything passed until finally, he saw himself back to the floor where the King stood before him.

Sonic jerked himself off the ground and gasped for air as Andriet jumped back in surprise.

"I thought you were-'" Out of instinct, Sonic kicked the King back, letting him stumble and hit his head with the cells bars.

The King groaned in pain but was sluggish in his movements. "Y-You were dead… How?!"

 ** _BOOM_**

A giant canon suddenly breached through the walls, just barely missing Sonic and the King. Sonic jumped back and coughed as the dust around him became thick. He waved the dust away and saw his Uncle jump through the hole of the outside.

"Chuck?"

"No time to grieve, Sonny." Chuck grabbed the keys from the Kings belt and freed Sonic from his chains. "We have to leave. Now!"

Both hedgehog's scrambled and leaped out from the opening, falling down the slope the castle sat on. Sonic felt the grass skid across his stomach and dirt fly into his mouth as he fell. Eventually they both hit the water at the bottom of the hill.

Uncle Chuck, knowing his Nephews fear of water, did not hesitate to carry him across the water.

Sonic spat out the mud that built up in his mouth and gripped onto his Uncle. "F-Father…"

"I know, Sonic." The heaviness in Chuck's speech made his words hit both their stomachs. "I know…"

Sonic let another tear fall as he looked back up at the castle. As if the King's actions weren't any worse, he had thrown Jules' lifeless body out of their escape hole, letting it fall and sink into the water like it was trash.

Sonic was devastated.

"Father! Father, no!"

The King stood on top of the hill, looking down at the hedgehogs as they made their escape.

"I'll find you! You hear me?!" Andriet yelled out, knowing good and well Sonic would hear him. "The next time you cross me will be the last!"

Sonic didn't care what the King said at that moment. His rage, all the emotions building up came out. Sonic let his eyes and heart be filled with pure hatred and heartache. Two ingredients that were a deadly mix.

Ever since this very day, Sonic had sworn to take down this king for destroying his very life. He swore, on his life, that the king would not get away with the death of Athena nor his father.

It had to end, and he was going to make sure of it.

* * *

 **ANDDDD There's Chapter 10! WHEW, WHAT A CHAPTER!**

 **I felt so evil writing this one :3 Fits being today is Halloween. Well, here's my treat to y'all being posted today instead of tomorrow. Happy Halloween and try not to get lost in Pumpkin Hill!**

 **Next Thursday Chapter 11 will be posted and will continue on the story ;p**

 **~Anyway, Thanks for reading and reviews are GREATLY appreciated! ;-3  
**


	11. Comfort and Tempting Forbidden Love

**Chapter 11: Comfort and Tempting Forbidden Love**

 **Present Day:**

"After we both escaped from the river, me and Chuck ran until we couldn't." Sonic let out a sigh, letting his emotions flow out. Everything he kept to himself for years, finally seeing the light after so long.

Sonic held a tight grip on the fabric of his cape, pulling the hood closer to his face almost in a weird comforting manner.

"Ever since then, I've been in hiding. But eventually King Andriet figured out I was the Winged Saber and he's been trying to kill me since."

Amy let it all soak in. Slowly everything that came out of Sonic's mouth, was being processed in and out her ears. There was so much information to take in from his story. So much…

The princess had a hard time finding the right words to say next. On one hand, she could just stay silent, but there was just too much to process. So much that just rushed out so fast. Even still, she understood it all and didn't even question it.

Amy can't say she couldn't believe what she heard. She actually was more upset with herself that she didn't realize her father had killed Athena. Not only that, but he didn't hesitate to kill Sonic's father either.

What happened to her father?

Amy remembered how happy her, and her parents were when she was a kid. It was rays of sunshine and just… blissful.

Yes, they had their fights. What parents didn't? But never in Amy's life did she even think her father would go to the extreme. Ever.

And for what? Power? That's so slimy and just… It just wasn't right to kill Athena for power. She meant more to the family than being the crown of the kingdom. She was a friend, wife, and a mother.

She was more of a mother to her people than anything. She would stick up for her country, like a mother would to her child. She was protective of her people and family. Especially of Amy.

But now, she's gone. Forever.

Amy looked at Sonic, who was searching the right words to say to the princess.

"I," Sonic started, "I wish… I could've done something. I let her die... It's my fault. It's all my fault."

Confusion was painted on the girl's face. How could he blame himself for what happened? None of this was his fault.

"Oh, Sonic…"

Amy pulled on the hooded hedgehog, forcing him into her embrace. This made Sonic jump and squirm a bit, but he relaxed feeling her touch and hold on him. It was actually quite comforting for him… It almost felt as warm as his parent's embrace…

That feeling was so distant that Sonic was surprised he even remembered what that felt like.

"Sonic, this is not your fault." She softly spoke to him.

"It is my fault…" Sonic argued, letting his eyes follow the floor. "If I was just faster… Maybe I could have-'"

"Stop that." Amy rubbed his back, running her hand through his quills. "I know how hard that must have been to say to me."

"But you should be the one who's upset. Your mother's dead because of your father…"

"I know, but my father also ruined your life. Not just mine… We both share a loss of some sort. I should have been more sensitive to your feelings and your past."

"Amy…" Sonic held her face up to his, rubbing her cheek as he held it still. "I should have been more honest… I think I'm more at fault."

"Who cares who's more at fault, Sonic. Either way, we both needed some type of closure." Amy rubbed his hands, smiling at him with teary eyes. "Thank you though."

"No, thank you."

Amy could feel the emotion behind his words. It broke her heart to hear him blame himself for something he couldn't control. She couldn't help but feel terrible for blaming him in the first place without knowing the full story.

"I should not have been so harsh to you in the beginning."

"You didn't know, Amy…"

"I know, but I apologize for that. It was wrong of me."

"Well, I apologize for not telling you sooner, but now you know."

"But it still doesn't make it right for you to kidnap me like you did." Amy let a blush escape to her cheeks. "But I'm glad you did."

"You're glad…?" Sonic raised his brow, clearly not understanding what her words meant. "You're glad someone kidnapped you?"

"No, Sonic," Amy looked to the side, embarrassed at her words. "I've felt… more connected with my mother through you. Through your memories and just… Does that make any sense?"

"Kind of, but I think it's more that she's shining through you, not myself." Sonic moved his hands to her own and moved them above her heart. "She's there and she's always been there. She's never left you, Amy."

Amy was speechless, but his words moved her. She almost felt her eyes water once again, but held it in, hoping Sonic wouldn't notice.

He noticed.

"You think so?"

"I know so."

Amy couldn't help but smile. She had never thought of her mother still being with her. Sonic had such a beautiful and bright way of seeing things and this was no exception.

While Amy was still sad her mother was dead, she also felt his words were truth. Her mother may not be here physically, but Amy could definitely say that her mother was with her in her heart.

"I don't remember much of your father, but I know if he saw you now, he'd be very proud." Amy told him.

Sonic eyes became distant and clouded. At that moment Amy suddenly panicked, worrying she said something she shouldn't have.

"Ah- I'm so sorry, I didn't-'"

"No, no…" Sonic let a small smile blow away the storm in his eyes. "I… I needed to hear that, Amy."

"You're not mad?"

"No," Sonic said quietly, his voice nearly cracking. "I just haven't spoke of my parents in five years…"

Amy felt her heart ache once more. She didn't like seeing him so upset. She wasn't sure why, but it just broke her heart seeing him so… Well, broken.

Actually, she's been getting a lot of weird feelings since she started warming up to Sonic. Feelings she can't really explain, but every time she was near Sonic, her heart and mind would feel peaceful.

How strange.

"I need you to promise that you'll hold my hand whenever I'm scared." Amy quickly spoke.

"Uh, okay..." Sonic kind of brushed off what she said to him, not thinking much of what she had requested.

Amy quickly grabbed Sonic's hand, squeezing it lightly.

Sonic was taken aback by her sudden gesture, but more baffled on what her reasoning for gripping his hand so suddenly.

"What are you scared of?" Sonic asked her.

"I'm scared if I let your hand go, you'll disappear like my mother."

"What..?"

"Sonic, if you fight my father, he'll kill you…"

"Amy, someone needs to put an end to this and it needs to be me." Sonic eyes became distant again, holding a fire of fury in them. They only seemed to shimmer down once Amy grabbed his attention back to her.

"Sonic?"

The blue hedgehog looked back to her, "I want you to fight by my side, but I don't want you to get more hurt than you already are."

"And I don't want you to get hurt either, Sonic."

"I won't."

"How do you know that?" Amy asked, letting her eyes plead into his.

"Because I'm Sonic The Hedgehog and I can do anything I put my mind to."

Well he was confident, Amy could give him that at least.

"Besides," He continued, "I'll do anything for you, even if it means putting my life before yours."

Amy felt her cheeks heat up, feeling her heart starting to skip a few beats at his words. Something as simple as that made Amy gush out like she was.

She was too easy sometimes.

Amy saw Sonic start to lean himself more toward her lips. She felt her heart beat against her chest and her hands shake, but she somehow relaxed her body.

Something inside her was begging her to just give him a soft kiss, but her nerves were also fighting her. Amy pushed those nerves aside seeing Sonic's eyelids half closed, gazing into her own almost in a flirtatious manner.

It nearly made her melt like wax on a candle.

 _Don't be chicken, Amy Rose._ She spoke to herself. _Just kiss him already! He's practically begging for permission at this point._

Amy got so lost in his eyes and felt herself lean in as well. She forced herself to move closer and closer to him. Their lips were but only a breath away from contact. She could hear his slow breath and feel the warmth coming from his body.

But nothing came.

Amy saw Sonic's eyes shrink and suddenly jolt back into his chair. He nearly made the whole chair go tumbling down. He looked like a deer in the headlights.

She blinked at few times, bewildered by his actions. First he wants to kiss her, then suddenly he jumps back like she was the Black Plague.

What was up with him?

"Sonic, are you…?"

"Fine!" Sonic's voice shook as he spoke, feeling his wind pipes go higher in pitch. "Just-fine-why-wouldn't-I-be-fine? Is-it-hot-in-here...?"

"Sonic."

"Yes?"

"Sonic, it's okay." Amy reached for his hand, which shook in hers when she held onto it. It was like he just came out of a snow storm.

Sonic knew what he was doing was wrong… Or was it? The blue hedgehog knew that falling for the princess was a fool's move. Especially when Shadow had basically threatened him days before not to.

Sonic was so unsure why his actions and body kept doing these weird things to him. He didn't like Amy. There was no way he liked her… I mean, he couldn't, right?

She was the princess and he was an outlaw. It's not like he even stood a chance.

Heck, a dead body had more of a chance of marriage than he did.

Sonic knew he felt something for her, but was unsure what it was exactly. His plan all along here was to get her to his side and dethrone the King, not fall in love with her.

No, that was never his intention.

So, why was he feeling this way then?

Sonic thought hard for a second, then he remembered how different he felt around her: Sonic felt like he could be himself. With everyone else he knew, he felt like he had to put on a mask. Pretend he was brave all the time and always positive. This was especially true to the people of his village and even his little brother, Tails. Sonic felt like he could be more than just positive around her.

He also felt like he could share his secrets and desires with her. His trust in her was stronger than anyone else he knew. Amy had such a way of not judging a book by its cover, and she did such a good job with that towards Sonic. It just felt so right.

Sonic did notice, after spending so much time with her, that he just liked her presence. No, he loved her presence. Having her around was like having the warmth of the sun beside you.

Whenever Sonic left her side, even during a fight, he felt lonely and like he was missing something. But when he was right back by her side, that feeling was gone and his heart felt at peace.

Could this be…Love?

No, it couldn't be that, or, maybe it is.

Sonic wasn't entirely sure, but he was starting to feel more and more convinced that he, Sonic The Hedgehog, was falling in love with this girl.

This wasn't good.

Sonic moved his hands from Amy's, seeing her eyes look hurt from his rejection.

"Sonic…"

"Uh," Sonic searched for anything to get him out of the situation. Anything. "Amy, I gotta- gotta go!"

With that, Sonic ran straight out the door of the tavern, leaving Amy by herself with only the fire to keep her company.

Sonic let his feet come to a complete halt after he made some distance from the tavern.

He felt his heart race faster than himself. Eventually, it slowed to a normal speed. Sonic took a deep breath and cursed at the sky as he held his fist up.

"Good going, Sonic!" He ridiculed himself. "You slipped up, again!"

"I thought I told you to stop pursuing her."

Sonic jumped back, seeing the black hedgehog's back against the tree. He had his eyes firmly on Sonic's, not losing eye contact even slightly.

"Gez, you scared me, Shad."

"I told you to stop pursuing the princess." Shadow repeated, but putting more anger in his words.

"Shadow, believe me, I'm not trying to."

"Really?" Shadow asked, not sounding convinced at all. "Seems to me that you wanted to kiss her back there."

"So, you were watching me…"

"Not all of it, but I saw you jump back before you did kiss her."

"But I didn't."

"You almost did."

"Shadow, I'm not falling for her."

"Are you saying that to me or yourself?"

That hit harder than Sonic would have wanted it to.

"Sonic, I'm warning you: stay away from her heart."

"I get the message. Alright?" Sonic pulled his hood closer to his face, huffing as he kicked the dirt.

Sonic felt his heart suddenly ache. The same feeling he's been getting whenever he left Amy's side. That hard and distant feeling...

He hated it, but now he knew why. As much as he did not want to admit it: Sonic knew he was falling for Amy and falling hard.

For a hedgehog who's kept his heart distant for years, he sure was letting someone open those doors quite easily.

 _What is wrong with me?_

* * *

 ** _ANDDDD THERE'S CHAPTER 11!_**

 _ **I nearly didn't get this done. I've been so busy this semester with college and I can't even tell y'all how much homework I have right now.** _

_**I just love reading everyone's comments after I write a chapter XD I wish I could just hug all of you lovely people. And hey, thought it would be fun to announce that this story already has over 3,000 views. Again, y'all are amazing.**_

 **Next Thursday Chapter 12 will be posted.**

 **~Anyway, Thanks for reading and reviews are GREATLY appreciated! ;-)  
**


	12. The King's Harvest Festival

**Chapter 12: The King's Harvest Festival**

Amy wasn't sure if she had done anything wrong or right when she attempted to kiss the blue hedgehog. What she did know, was that since the other day, Sonic's been avoiding her as much as he could.

"I wouldn't take it the wrong way, Amy." Tails patted her back, hoping to give her some sort of comfort. "Sonic's one to run away from things he's unsure of or that are problematic to him."

"So I'm a problem then…?"

"Yeah, I guess you are." Knuckles bluntly spoke, suddenly feeling the palm of the fox's hand smack his head. "Hey!"

"Knuckles, could you be a little more sensitive?"

"I thought I was."

"Not in the slightest." Tails sighed, pulling a chair close to Amy. "This is just how Sonic deals with things is all. Nothing personal I'm sure."

Amy fiddled with her hands, "I know, but I think I was pushing it a little…"

"So, he did end up freaking and bailing on the kiss then?" Knuckles suddenly was interest in the conversation. "If so, I am never letting this down for as long as he lives."

"Knuckles." Tails growled, rolling his eyes at the echidna. "Amy, just give him some space."

"It's been several days. How much space does he need?"

"Who knows." Tails shrugged his shoulders, letting them fall as he gazed at the fire bin.

Amy sighed, knowing she probably did upset Sonic. She felt like she took advantage of his trust in some way.

I mean, she tried to get him to kiss her. Amy just felt like she… might have forced that on him that he ran from complete fear.

 _Great, he probably hates me now_. She thought to herself. _Maybe… I can fix this!_

Amy was sure there was something she could do to salvage the strange friendship she gained from Sonic. Her mind pondered on a thought: What was something Sonic would like to do with her?

There had to be something, but what?

That's when an idea hit her.

"Ah," Amy clapped her hands together, grabbing back Tails and Knuckles' attention. "what if I take him out to do something fun!"

"I thought we were talking about Sonic's wimpy kiss-out." Knuckles mumbled to himself, folding his arms.

"I can take Sonic out to a village festival, right?" Amy smiled to herself. "Every year, his village has a fun little festival to celebrate the harvest of their crops, right? My father used to speak of it."

"Yeah," Tails nodded. "It's a big deal in his village. It's about the only time they get any food, but what's your point?"

"I take Sonic there and BOOM, we're friends again." Amy looked to the fox for approval, but saw Tails rub his chin.

"I don't know, Amy. Sonic's been on edge and the King is still searching for you. It's risky for you to leave this area, let alone go to a village that's always on the King's sight."

"It's only for a few hours, Tails."

"I don't know," Knuckles budded in, "Tails usually is right about this and I'd have to agree. It's just too dangerous right now."

Amy huffed, folding her arms in frustration.

"Sorry, Amy." Tails apologized, rubbing her arm. "Let's just wait it out."

Amy didn't want to wait it out. She wanted to fix the problem and fix it now.

And she intended on doing it her way, even if it would be a huge mistake.

The day ended with a full moon shining through the nightly sky. The rays from the rocky structure gave way for a light for the bar tenders and criminals to make their way home.

Amy had turned it in early, waiting for everyone to sleep and at least out of view from catching sight of her sneaking out tonight.

After waiting for a long while in her room, she made her move and leaped from her bed. She cracked the door, looking carefully through the crack to see if anyone was in the halls.

The coast seemed clear.

"Good." She spoke quietly, shutting her bedroom door behind her as she creeped out. "Let's hope he's in the mood to see me now…"

Amy tipped toed her way down the hall to, what she assumed was, Sonic's room. Every now and then her steps would follow a few creeks from the floor.

CREEK, CRACK, CREEK

Amy nearly cursed herself each time and prayed the wooden panels didn't dare wake a soul.

It did wake one.

"What are you doing, princess."

Amy looked behind her, seeing her royal guard before her. He has his arms cross, almost like how a father would react seeing his child sneak back home late.

"Shadow, I," Amy stuttered, not really surprised he would be up. Part of his duty and all. "I thought you were asleep."

"No." Shadow simply said.

"Oh, nice work then."

"Amy."

"Okay, okay." Amy sighed, looking to the floor. "I was sneaking out."

"Not very wise, knowing I'd be awake guarding the door."

"Shadow, I need to-""

"Sneak out with the criminal." Shadow cut her off. "Pardon my tongue, but you shouldn't be running out doing, Nimue knows what, with him."

"I'm just trying to fix what happened between us..."

"You mean when you almost kissed him."

Amy blinked, surprised and, honestly, offended that he knew.

"So you were watching?"

"Not Exactly."

"Shadow, as a friend, just understand that I'm trying to be helpful."

"And I'm trying to do my job: protecting you."

"From what exactly?" Amy asked.

"From him."

"Sonic?"

"Yes, who else?" Shadow gripped his fist but let himself breathe for a moment. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"Shadow, I don't understand. Why are you worrying so much?"

He didn't say anything for a moment, but Amy let him take his time. She didn't want to anger the dark knight.

"Princess, I just worry about your safety."

Amy felt her lips turn to a smile. She held his hands into hers, feeling his slight grip.

Amy watched his eyes get lost at the floor, but slowly look up to hers.

"If this is about your lover-""

Shadow suddenly jerked his hands back. Amy saw his eyes harden and seeming to lock himself away from her. Away from shedding any sense of emotion.

"I don't want to discuss that." He flatly said to her.

Amy felt a little hurt, but she couldn't blame him for his actions. If anything, she felt pity. She could only imagine the pain he suffered daily.

Amy remembered Shadow having a lover at one point in his life. A lovely girl who had a heart of gold and the brightest gold hair. Blue eyes that rivaled the sea.

She had only seen this girl once, but she was enough to make the dark hedgehog shine as bright as the sun.

She too was a princess, but from another land far from Ocovia. This girl and Shadow had fallen madly in love and all seemed well.

What happened to her?

Well, she had lost her life when a group of bandits attacked her and the knight when he was escorting her home one day.

Amy knew that that past incident had to be connected to the now. He was protecting the princess and doing his duty, yes. But he was also protecting Amy from the same faith he had suffered.

He simply didn't want her to get hurt emotionally.

Amy couldn't help but let her heart ache for the dark knight. He's kept his feelings so locked up that it was just peaking through simply through her.

Amy couldn't even image what it must have been like to have the love of your life killed while he fought so hard for her to live.

He had to have felt guilty to be the one to live over her. Amy knew that for a fact.

"Shadow, I know it's hard letting that incident pass, but don't worry about me. I trust Sonic, don't you?"

Shadow stayed silent for a moment. He seemed to be collecting his thoughts, but his face stayed so hard and stern as he did so.

"I do trust him, but I still worry, princess. It's my job to protect you and I won't let anything happen again-" He stopped, but quickly fixed himself. "Again… I won't let you be taken again."

"I need to do this. I promise I'll be back before the sun sets on the morning dew."

"Before the morning dew." Shadow repeated, almost in a warning tone. "Fine, you may go."

Amy gave Shadow a quick smile, before leaping into his arms for a hug.

"Thank you."

Amy let him pat her back before letting him go. She made a quick dash to Sonic's room, closing the door behind her.

Sonic surprisingly wasn't asleep in bed when Amy walked in the room. He sat at a desk that laid in front of a window, overlooking the starry night.

Amy quietly approached closer, seeing Sonic looking over a map of Ocovia, possibly looking over strategies or preparing for what action to take when they attack the King.

Sonic's ears moved back, hearing the girl's footsteps. "Amy?"

"What- How did you know it was even me?" She asked, a little weirded out that he didn't even had to turn around to know who was before him.

"I didn't. You told me."

"Ah-"" Amy nearly facepalmed herself, "Fell for that one, huh?"

"Amy, what are you doing in here? It's late."

"I'm taking you out."

"Out? What are you kidnapping me now?" Sonic smirked, seeing the girl blush in response.

"Sonic, will you hush!" She shushed him, holding a finger to his lip.

He moved her hand, giving her a stern look. "Amy, go to bed."

"Sonic, you've been avoiding me for days now. I want to fix what happened between us."

"Fix?" He questioned, not really sure what she meant to fix.

"Yes," Amy said grabbing his arm, "now come on."

Sonic wasn't sure what to do, but he decided to go along with whatever Amy had planned for him. They both snuck out the window to avoid anyone else noticing their whereabouts. Sonic was the first to jump out and caught Amy as she leaped out from the window.

"Thanks."

"So, where are you taking me?" Sonic asked in a hushed tone, looking around him. "Is it a place I need to bring my weapon?"

"What- No, Sonic." Amy patted his shoulder. "Just keep your hood close to your face and we should be fine. Okay?"

Amy again grabbed his arm, intertwining it into hers. "Lead me to your village, please."

"My village? Why do you want to go there?" Sonic asked, raising an eyebrow at the girl.

"Just trust me, okay?"

"Alright, alright." Sonic sighed in defeat, knowing he probably wasn't going to get anything out of her.

Sonic knew it was a little risky to leave behind his weapon while traveling, especially at night, but he trusted Amy for the time being.

The hooded hedgehog led Amy down the path that led away from the old tavern and walked deeper into the woodlands. They followed a trail that was only slightly visible to Sonic, but he's run the trail long enough to know exactly where to go, even without the land directing him.

A few minutes go by in silence with the two hedgehogs. Neither really spoke a word as they walked, and it just made the situation a little too awkward.

"So," Sonic started, "why did you want to take me out exactly?"

"I just felt bad for almost kissing you the other day." Amy fiddled with her fingers, letting her eyes watch the ground as she walked. "I know you must've not wanted to."

"Amy…" Sonic looked at her, letting his eyes soften to her own.

"Don't look at me like that, Sonic. You freaked out when we nearly…"

"Amy, I never said I didn't want to."

"Your actions said otherwise."

Sonic lightly chuckled, scratching his head. "I… I wanted to." He admitted, not daring making eye contact.

"You did-'"

"But I was just trying to protect ya when I didn't, alright?" He quickly said. "Besides, you're a princess and I'm an outlaw. Our relationship… is business."

"Business…?"

Amy felt extremely hurt by his words. Everything they went through, everything they felt, meant nothing but business to him?

The princess knew she had emotions for Sonic, strong ones in fact, and she was sure he did too. Even if it wasn't a lot, there had to be some feelings for her in there, right?

Or maybe… she was just business to him and it was just her falling in love with Sonic.

Amy couldn't be mad even if she wanted to, because she knew deep down that Sonic was right. Them being together, for the time being, was business to take down the King. She's a royal and he's an outcast.

Nothing more, nothing less.

But, even so, it wouldn't hurt to have a little fun before, then right?

"…Right. It's just business, but even friends can have some fun right?"

"Heh, yeah, I suppose."

As they neared the village, music could be heard as the forest lit up from the torches that gave Sonic's village, Elvedon, some light. Amy could hear all sorts of instruments playing. She could hear bagpipes playing a quick and melancholy sound, with flutes playing along with it. It harmonized with it so well.

As they peered closer and out of the brush, both hedgehogs saw the town of Elvedon dancing around a big fire as it danced it's flames into the sky. Even a guy playing the Lute was dancing along with the crowd as he played.

Along to the side of the players, there was three wagons of the village's yearly harvest. Full of mostly vegetables, but with some fruit scattered here and there. It was enough to feed the very hungry village to get through another harsh season.

"That's more food than last year…" Sonic said to a whisper. "Maybe things are actually turning around here."

Amy smiled and tugged on his arm, grabbing the boy's attention back. "Let's have some fun."

"Okay, what do you-'" Sonic suddenly felt the princess pull him away from the brush into the dancing chaos that stood before him.

Sonic, not really sure what was going on, started to panic letting his feet shuffle. Amy saw this and held firmly onto both of his arms. "Hey, it's okay. Just focus on me for a second."

"W-Wha-'"

"Sonic, focus."

Sonic looked at the girl, letting his eyes focus fully on her. His heart finally ceased and flowed back to its normal speed. He felt his pupils widen looking at her and his heart start rushing with heat.

It was that same feeling he's been getting since he realized his possible feelings to her.

He mentally cursed himself for letting that come back in, but for the moment, he just let it be.

Amy also felt similar to how Sonic did. Butterflies in her stomach was going nuts at this point, but she pushed it to the side as much as she could for the moment. She had to get Sonic to calm down or he'd make a run for it.

Amy let her hands moved to his, intertwining her fingers with his, locking them together. She felt Sonic squeeze her hands instead of moving them away from hers.

It was peaceful to say the least, even with the music blaring as loud as it was.

"You taught me how to hold a sword, let me teach you something: how to dance."

Sonic's eyes panicked once more, "A-Amy, this really isn't my thing. I can't dance."

"Then let me teach you."

Amy-'"

"Please, Sonic." She begged him, her eyes pleading into his.

Sonic hated the idea of dancing. No, let's rephrase that: he hated the idea of dancing with a girl. He's no stranger to dancing. In fact, he loved dancing, but just in a different way from what royals do.

The royals were fancy with their dancing. They always went a certain speed, you had to have a partner to dance with, and the guy always led. There was little freedom for anyone, or at least to Sonic.

Regardless, he wanted to see Amy happy and if that meant sacrificing his own dignity, than so be it. He was willing to give that up for the moment for a friend.

They are just friends, right?

Sonic finally gave her a small nod in approval, letting his lungs take a deep breath, preparing himself for what felt like a battle in of itself.

"Okay, so teach me then."

Amy smiled and waited for the music to pick back up. Once it did, she moved one hand of his to her hip and held the other with her own. She could feel Sonic starting to tense up, probably from being so close to her or just doing something new and out of his comfort zone.

Amy let Sonic have a few moments to ease up on his nerves before going further. Once he finally let his grip soften, Amy let her feet do the work as she was the one who would lead this dance.

Her moment was slow and steady to make sure Sonic didn't get lost. Actually, he seemed to pick up the just on the dance moves fairly quickly.

Not that she would be surprised. He's probably seen the royals dance quite often when he was a knight at the castle.

Soon enough, their feet explored their dance floor, sliding from side to side as they fasten their rhythmic movement to the music.

Sonic watched his own feet the whole time as they did this, still unsure of himself, but finally looked back to Amy with confidence.

"See?" Amy pointed out to him, seeing his eyes glow as bright as the stars. "You're doing great Sonic."

At that moment, both hedgehogs got so lost in the music and dancing that nothing mattered to them at the moment. Not the pain of their childhood, not the war, and not even their weird loving relationship.

Everything was peaceful and they both felt like they were the only souls in the world as they danced.

Neither broke their eyes away from each other. They let their eyes drown in one another's presence and didn't seemed bothered by it in the slightest.

Amy felt like it was just her and Sonic at this moment. Seeing his eyes sparkle as he looked at her, it almost looked like… love.

Sonic could also see her eyes twinkle like a star in the night sky. Seeing her gaze into his own made his heart sing and want to hold her in his embrace.

It was perfect.

Amy came here to fix anything that had built up to their awkward moment the other day. While her mind was in the right place, her heart wasn't and she still loved him.

So in reality, her plan to makeup and go back to being friends, backfired completely.

And she was okay with that.

But, so was he…

Sonic could feel himself moving closer to her, letting his hands cherish her cheek as their dance slowly started to cease.

Everything Sonic was fighting before was kicking his stomach every second right now, but at the same time, he couldn't help but let himself get lost with her.

"Amy, we need to stop this…"

"Stop what…?" She asked almost innocently but knew what she was doing.

But so, did he.

"Stop this… Before…" He inched closer to her face, letting himself get lost into her eyes. "before we…"

Both hedgehog's let their mind shut off for a second, not caring if what they were doing was wrong or right. Wanting to let their different social status' clash with a kiss.

They wanted this moment and they both knew it.

But neither would share this moment regardless.

SLASH

The sound of a sword clashing with a villager's body was heard as the man fell to the ground. Screams of women soon followed as they witnessed someone's death in front of them in such a joyous celebration.

Sonic and Amy moved their attention to the source of the screaming, looking where eyes now shook in horror.

Sonic felt his heart drop to the pit of his stomach.

In front of the fallen villager stood the tall, brute, King of Ocovia himself. Blooding dripping from his long blade onto the earth where the villager fell.

Sonic could see the cold hatred in his eyes, firing burning within them.

Amy stood in disbelief, and suddenly felt Sonic move her behind him, stretching out an arm as of means to protect her.

The King looked among the crowd, scanning for something, or someone.

"What a lovely festival we have here." He suddenly spoke, watching the crowd as he talked. "How was the harvest this year? Seems to me you got double than what you got last year." He answered his own question.

A few of the villagers whispered among themselves. A few of the men held their couples by their side, seeming to be taking no chances with the King either.

"I'm looking for someone." He continued, motioning his guards to move closer to his side. "I'm sure you know him as the Wing Saber, no?"

Everyone stood silent, letting the local tree owl sing as he gazed at the moon.

Seeing no one speak made the King grip his fist, but he went on. "I know he's here."

"He knows…?" Amy asked gripping onto Sonic.

"I also know he has my daughter at this festival."

"How did he know we were here…?"

Andriet let the crowd led him as he pushed through, while his guards followed behind. He hummed as he looked among the faces until, finally, he saw him.

In front of the fire pit, Sonic stood tall, hood hiding his face with the wind pushing his cape with it. Amy stood behind the blue one, but the King didn't seem to take much of any notice to that.

He's been waiting to find Sonic again for nearly a month and here he was. Right in front of the King like a gold platter.

"Oh, look what my harvest festival has brought me: the mighty Winged Saber. What a treat indeed."

Sonic didn't let the King's words phase him, at least not where the King could tell. Inside, his heart was racing and looking for any means of escape, because right now, he was completely defenseless in a sword fight.

Not only that, but Amy was in danger right now. As much as he wanted to fight the king, he had to get the princess back to safety.

Andriet gripped the hilt of his sword, letting a his smirk snake onto his face. "Let's behead you right here, right now."

Sonic sprang int action, letting his body take over. Instead of any means of fighting back, he made a swift move, picking Amy up in one swipe and booking it back to the bush.

The King found amusement in this and motion his knights once again, "Let's make chase, men. We have a hedgehog to catch."

And the chase began.

* * *

 **ANDDDDD THERE'S CHAPTER 12!**

 **Sorry this chapter went up late. I'm in the crunch time of my classes and exams are piling up and I really need to focus on my work.**

 **I woke up super early to write this whole chapter for you guys XD 12 pages and 4,000 words of goodness XD  
**

 **Just giving a heads up, if it takes longer than usual to post chapters now you know why. But I really needed the time to work on my classwork and preparing for my school's artshow next week. So sorry guys, but I hope you liked the chapter regardless of it being a day late.**

 **I felt terrible making you all wait, 'cuz I know lots were checking in on the update. That's my bad, but I'll try to get chapter 13 ready to go by next Thursday since I'll be on Thanksgiving break.**

 **~Anyway, Thanks for reading and reviews are GREATLY appreciated! :-0  
**


	13. The Adventurous Heart

**Chapter 13: The Adventurous Heart  
**

Sonic's feet raced across the Earth, running as fast as his feet possibly could. Bugs would headbutt him and trees would snatch his arms as he ran, trying to slow the blue blur down.

Sonic did not let nature win in their attempts, and he continued as he carried the princess along the way.

Andriet, along with his knights in shining armor, followed in pursuit. Their horses' hooves grabbing the Earth along as they fasten their pace toward the hooded hedgehog and princess.

The King smiled as he chased Sonic, it gave him such pleasure to be so close to catching his prize.

Amy kept a tight grip onto Sonic as his speed pushed her further into his chest. She could tell from his speed that he was obviously caught off guard and even a little panicked at the King's arrival in his village.

"There was no way…" Amy saw Sonic's eyes begin to search for answers, distracting him in the process as he was about to collide into a tree's embrace.

"Look out!" Amy pointed out.

Sonic snapped back into his world and made a quick side step, avoiding the tree completely. The same could not be said for one of the King's knights, who's horse bucked him off and fell with a thud.

This could give Sonic a possible few more seconds of time to get further away from the King.

It could, but it didn't.

Andriet did not even hesitate to stop for his fallen knight. Instead, he passed by him without a single glance. His eyes were glued onto Sonic and Sonic only.

Amy noticed this and started to worry for the others at the tavern. If they weren't able to get away from her father, he would just find their hiding place and arrest everyone there.

She knew her father would do that. Anyone who worked along with Sonic or were somehow associated with him, would, without a doubt, be hanged.

"Sonic, we can't just run back to the tavern. My father," She warned, "he'll follow us. Then what will happen?"

Sonic already knew what would happen and he couldn't bare to see his only family he had left die.

No, not even Tails. He was too young, too innocent to get into Sonic's mess.

He also worried about Amy. Sonic couldn't bare to see her go back under her father's power. He was afraid of what he would do if she even dare question his rule.

Sonic had to protect her... He just had to...

"I already have a plan for that." Sonic told her, looking over is shoulder to the king.

"And that plan would be?" Amy asked. "We don't exactly have the entire time in the world here-'"

Sonic's speed made a sudden halt as he slid his heels to the dirt. He quickly scanned the area, timing out how fast he had to make his next move.

"Sonic, what are you-'" Amy was once again cut off by another sudden burst of speed from the blue blur. Sonic ran to the nearest tree, grabbing the trunk and swung himself around like a rock being slung out of a slingshot.

Sonic made his aim at the king and his horse, which caught Andriet completely by surprise. And in an instant, Sonic grabbed the horses' reins and kicked the King off the saddle.

The young boy wasted not a single moment to force Amy onto the horse's saddle.

"Sonic?!"

"Amy, go!" Sonic slapped the horses' behind, making the animal make sudden speed away from the hooded hedgehog

Sonic waited until she was a good distance away before facing the King, who sat on the ground and quickly collected himself from the fall.

Strangely, the King seemed more entertained at Sonic's actions than anything.

"You really are the fastest thing alive aren't you?"

"You bet I am." Sonic held his head high, not showing any sign of fear.

Andriet smirked and released his sword from its holder. "Do you really think what you just did was wise, kicking me off the horse like that?"

"Nothing I do is wise, your majesty."

"I see." Andriet held the sword to Sonic's chest, then made a swift move to lift off the hooded garment that hid the young hedgehog's face.

Seeing Sonic's stern posture seemed to amuse the King's twisted mind.

"You look so much like your father." Andriet's eyes fueled itself with hatred. "Not sure if I'd say he would be proud of what you have become: criminal, outcast, some winged saber story joke."

Sonic didn't say anything to the King, he just let him talk. He knew the more time he let the King waste, the better chance Amy had to getting back home.

"My father would be proud." Sonic finally spoke, catching the King by surprise.

"Oh, the mighty Winged Saber talks?" Andriet couldn't help but laugh. "My boy, I think only a mere peasant would find what you do honorable. Your father was a peasant in armor- No, a rat playing dress up. Like yourself."

Sonic's blood boiled and eyes burned with a fearsome blaze. He attempted to lung at the King, but was held back by one of the knights that had accompanied Andriet.

"My father was a hero!"

"Rubbish." Andriet drew his sword back in it's holder. "Guards, make chase for my daughter."

"You have me. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"Indeed, Sonic, but I must ensure she returns home and away from you and whoever else must have brainwashed her."

"We did not do such a thing. If anything, you brainwashed her."

"Oh?" The King asked innocently. "Why would I do such a thing?"

"To cover up the death of Athena!" Sonic gritted his teeth. "You killed her and then my own father! You are a monster!"

"Maybe not a monster. I think I'd prefer: A king who looks for the perfect opportunity to gain the power he wants."

Sonic looked at him with hatred and disgust in his eyes. It could have burned straight through hard metal.

"No matter," Andriet motioned over another knight, who hurried to bound Sonic's hands and feet, "my daughter will return home on her own. I guarantee it."

"And what makes you so sure?"

"Because I have the person she's been infatuated with." Andriet spoke, grabbing Sonic's garment and drawing him closer. The young hedgehog could feel the heat from the King's breath, like a dragon curling to it's prey. "I have you."

Amy didn't have much time to react to anything that was going on. She just watched as Sonic became more and more of a unrecognizable figure as she rode the steed. Eventually, he was out of her sight completely.

She was both touched, yet, upset that Sonic would just leave her like that. She didn't even get a choice in the matter. If she had a say, she would have stayed behind as well.

They could have fought her father together, but she knew Sonic would not have any of that.

 _Next time, I'll actually put up a fight for my country... and for Sonic..._

Amy could only assume Sonic's reasonings for what he did. If she knew him well enough, she had no doubt he was doing it to protect her. And while Amy knew he was capable of taking care of himself, she couldn't help but worry.

Sonic didn't even have his sword on him. Yet, another mistake on Amy's part that she couldn't help but beat herself up for.

Amy shook her head, putting her focus back at the task at hand: She had to warn the others of Sonic's capture.

Another thought lingered Amy's mind though: the king's sudden appearance at the festival.

How could he possibly know they would be there?

Only one thing came to Amy's mind: There was a traitor among them.

But who...?

It didn't take long for Amy to get back to the old worn out tavern in the woods. She took no time to jump off the horse and make a dash at the aged doors.

She scrambled to the entryway, hearing the cheering and shouting of a few drunk mobians. They seemed worse than usual, because now some people were stacking chairs on top of the tables and hanging on the old chandeliers that hung high.

She's not even going to ask how they got there…

Amy pushed the crowd around as she searched helplessly for the fox or echidna she had meet. It didn't take long for her to find both actually. They seemed to be arguing as Knuckles swung his stein around. His words were sloppy, and his voice told her how drunk he was.

"Knuckles, Sonic said no drinking." Tails warned him, taking the stein away from the echidna.

"Shadow's the one who brought the rum!" Knuckles pointed out, bearing his fangs at the black hedgehog, who shrugged his shoulders.

"Yes, and you took it without hesitation if I may add." Shadow spoke between sips.

Amy ran to their table, nearly collapsing while catching her breath. Shadow jumped up at her sudden dismay, but did not hesitate to run to her aid.

"Princess, what's wrong? Are you alright?" Shadow asked her, puzzled at her single attendance. "Where's that hedgehog?"

"Wait, where is Sonic?" Tails raised his head, letting his eyes flood with concern.

"There's trouble… The King, he has Sonic."

"What do you mean...?" Knuckles asked, "Don't tell me we just lost our leader in this war."

"I'm afraid to say it, but I think we did..."

There was a brief silence among the group, but it was suddenly broken by the echidna's fist against the table. "How could you let this happen?!"

"Knuckles," Tails raised his hands up to his friend, "we can't blame Amy for this. Sonic does what Sonic does best: being the hero. He probably did this willingly."

"What... What are we going to do now...?" Amy asked, rubbing her arm. "We don't have a leader to lead the battle to my father's castle."

"Indeed, we don't." Knuckles rubbed his chin, suddenly having a candle light up in his head. "Hey, wait a minute."

Knuckles moved his attention back to Amy, who raised a eyebrow. "Um, Knuckles...?"

"Amy, your mother was a war hero, a leader. Correct?"

"Yes, but what are you getting at...?" She asked, not entirely sure what his point was until...

"You can be our leader."

"Wait, what!?" Amy moved a hand over her chest, feeling her heart race. "You want me to be a leader...?"

"Absolutely not." Shadow voiced out, crossing his arms as he spoke. "She is a princess, not a dang warlord."

"I'm not saying she needs to be a warlord." Knuckles said. "I'm saying that she could lead us to victory and save Sonic."

"I second that." Tails spoke out, raising his hand slightly, but lowered it once he met the daggers in Shadow's crimson eyes.

Amy was a little unsure of this suggestion. For one, she only barely knows how to wield a sword, but now she has a hammer that she doesn't even know how to use.

Sonic was suppose to teach her, but now that's no good since he's been captured.

Amy didn't mind fighting for what was right, but she wasn't sure if she was exactly fit to lead. That was more of someone who held power well, like her mother. Amy still hasn't had a grasp on that concept.

But she also won't know what she is good at if she doesn't try.

How else would her mother know she was a natural born leader and fighter?

Amy had to try for her country's sake, but she also wanted to prove herself to be more than just a princess in a dress. She had more worth than that.

Sonic seemed to look at her another way than most, almost like the way her mother did. Her father didn't seem to get that picture, but she would gladly paint it for him.

Shadow continued to fight Knuckles on the subject, and even offered to let himself lead their group. But that was meet with more disgust from the echidna.

"She will not-'"

Amy held her hand to Shadow's shoulder, silencing him as her face lit up with this new form of hope.

"I'll do it."

* * *

 **Annnnnnd there's chapter 13!**

 **I know I was supposed to post this chapter during Thanksgiving break, but I ended up getting sick during the whole break and wanted to spend time with my family that I don't get to see very often.**

 **So sorry!**

 **Now I'm in the issue of my finals in my art classes. I got lots of final projects and a presentation that I have to do, so I'm not yet certain that I'll be able to post Chapter 14 in the first week of December. So, you guys could be getting chapter 14 on the 12** **th** **of December. I'm not entirely sure yet.**

 ** **~Anyway, Thanks for reading and reviews are GREATLY appreciated! :-)****


	14. I am not led, I lead

**Chapter 14: I am not led; I lead**

Amy's decision to lead a small group of rebels against her father was slowly starting to weigh on her very shoulders.

 _Can I really lead these rebels into the unknown?_

Possibly, but maybe not successfully like Knuckles seems to think. But at least he had some sort of faith in the princess.

Shadow still was not too sure about the whole thing. Not too long after making that decision he was trying to convince Amy to back out of it.

"Princess, I beg thee to back out of this." Shadow had said to her. "This is simply foolish."

"Well, who else is going to lead them?"

"No one, princess." He explained. "Sonic is likely in the castle's prison. Who's to say he won't be dead by sunrise tomorrow."

"Which is the more reason we should go and stop my father."

"Princess, you're not listening."

"On the contrary, I heard what you said." Amy looked over the map that laid on the table. "But I believe Sonic is innocent. Besides, he wouldn't hesitate to save me if it was the other way around. Wouldn't you agree?"

Amy heard Shadow grunt in frustration, knowing good and well he wouldn't be able to convince the princess to change her mind no matter how hard he tried.

"Fine," Shadow sighed, "what do you plan to do then? We can't just march into the castle without a plan."

"You're right." Amy looked at her hands, then back to her dark knight. "Shadow, I know little about strategies and fighting wars. Perhaps… Perhaps you can help me?"

Shadow seemed to look straight past her, not wanting to aid in these actions against his king.

He's always fought by the King's side, but he adored the princess and would do anything for her.

But would he help her in dethroning the king?

It's hard to say, but Amy was sure he would find a way to please both parties regardless on whose side he was on.

"I'll help you figure out strategies, but nothing more."

"Thank you!" Amy leaped into his arms, holding him into a tight grip.

"You're going to have to figure out how to use your new weapon on your own, as well as saving the Winged Saber. I cannot help you further than that."

"That's fine. I'm sure I can get someone else to help me how to use the hammer."

Though, Amy was not too sure if she would. Sonic had promised to teach her that skill, but now he's gone. So now she had to find another person who could possibly teach her how to use it.

Amy did seem more confident knowing Shadow was going to help her with a strategy. If anyone knew anything about fighting wars, it was the dark knight himself.

"Princess, I would suggest you find someone to teach you while I think of an idea for the battle. I'll call you back whenever I think of something we can agree on and go from there."

"Sounds like a plan, Shadow."

"If I may?" Tails spoke out, walking between the hedgehogs. "Knuckles knows a thing or two about fighting."

"Surprise, surprise…" Shadow mumbled, fiddling with a pencil as he did so.

Amy lightly hit his shoulder, silencing him. "Is that so, Tails?"

"Yeah, I think he's the best thing we have next to Sonic. Why not give that a shot?"

"Mm, alright." Amy rubbed the foxes head. "Then let's hope he can teach me a thing or two. How bad could it be?"

Amy you might have spoken too soon.

While the princess left the dark knight to his duties, she made a personal request to Knuckles to train her as much as he knew.

Amy followed Tails to the back of the tavern, where there was some weapons laid around the ground. A lot being swords and axes.

Knuckles seemed to be in his own little world as he swung his twin axes about while hitting targets that were embedded in the dirt.

Amy watched as the echidna jabbed one of the axes in the chest of a target that resembled a person. Only that it didn't have a face or arms.

He took another slice at it with his other axe that matched the other before putting his attention to Amy and Tails.

"You never lose that touché with your blades, Knuckles." Tails spoke, impressed at the red echidna, who also took full pride.

"Well, I am an echidna and we are one with the blades. It all comes natural." He said with his head held up high.

Amy could see the pride he took in his words. Seemed no different from Sonic, but Knuckles did show off more in this department it seemed.

"I hope you can teach me to be as good as Sonic." Amy said.

"Hah," Knuckles laughed, "I'm better than Sonic. So, I'll be teaching you better techniques and you just might end up being as good as me."

Yeah, pride might be an understatement.

"Right," Tails rolled his eyes, "I guess I'll leave you both to this then."

"She'll be the second best warrior by the time you get back." Knuckles held his nose high.

"Just try not to kill her." Tails finally waved the echidna off, walking back inside.

"Kill her…?" Amy repeated, letting her voice shake with some fear behind it.

"Eh, don't mind Tails. He's like that."

Knuckles dug his twin blades into the ground, letting the earth hold them. He then went about the pile of swords and dug out Amy's new hammer she had gotten a while back from Sonic.

"Alright. So, lets begin with some simple tasks before we get ahead of ourselves. Sound good?"

"Yeah," Amy swallowed, feeling the nerves get to her. "I'm nervous."

"Don't be. This is just practice before we actually kill and stab people."

"Wait...?" Amy asked, "I-I don't plan to kill anyone. I just want to defend myself and put up a good fight if necessary."

"Same thing." Knuckles waved her off, handing off the hammer to her.

The hammer was extremely light in her hands. The weapon itself was painted in bright red and yellow paint. So, it defiantly made a statement. It had a nice handle as well, making it easy to grip onto for just about anyone.

Everything about the weapon was perfect for Amy. Sonic couldn't have chosen a better and more perfect weapon for her.

Knuckles cracked his- well, his knuckles, and pulled his twin blades from the earth.

"Shall we begin, Princess?"

Several miles from the old tavern, a blue hedgehog was chained behind iron bars of the castle's dungeons.

Sonic felt the cold and hard iron on his ankles and wrists hold him down to the ground, preventing very little movement in his cell. The ground was as cold as ice and as harsh as thorns on vines. So much dust had been built up from the little prisoners who stayed here.

It made Sonic's nose ache.

He could feel the heaviness this place held within. So much pain, agony, and suffering in just one single room.

It was almost too much for the blue hedgehog.

Sonic could also hear the voices that must've stayed here. All the people who stayed locked up here and now dead. He could've sworn he heard their voices echoing and bouncing off the leaking walls.

It's hard to say if he was going mad or not, but it could not be so. The boy had only been in the dungeon for a few hours.

Regardless, he could feel the presence of so many dead souls and among them he could hear his father.

"Sonic…"

The young hedgehog heard being whispered in his ears.

"Sonic…."

He tried to shut out the noise by covering his ears with his hands. He gripped onto his ears so tightly, nearly begging the voice to stop.

"My son, you have a duty to fulfill with that princess. It is not yet your time."

Sonic felt his fingers dig into his head. He could've sworn he felt something hot and red leak down his head.

But he finally gave in to the voice.

"F-Father… What do you mean?" Sonic talked out loud but was met with silence. So, he continued. "Father, you told me I have a duty to fulfill with her…. What duty could that possibly be?"

Silence seemed to be Sonic's only comfort right now, but he knew he was not going crazy. He knew his father's presence was still here.

Sonic hated that thought. He didn't want his father's spirit to be linked to this place. The very place he died.

"You deserved better, Father… I'm sorry."

Suddenly, a bright luminous light lit up the room, making a blinding light to Sonic as he covered his eyes. He squinted as he tried to see the source of the sudden light.

King Andriet let his feet echo and slowly ring as he made his way down the stairs. Every step he took was like a clock ticking so hard that it could've pierced Sonic's chest like a blade.

The King walked to the bars, staring down at Sonic through them. His eyes held no emotion nor remorse.

"I told you she would return home."

"What are you talking about...?" Sonic asked, looking at the King's feet.

"My daughter is planning to lead the army you cooked up." Andriet unlocked the cell door, letting himself inside. "She's going to take me on."

"Wait… Amy's leading the battle?"

"Unfortunately." The King groaned, pacing around the blue hedgehog.

But something did not seem right with Sonic.

How did the king even know that? She couldn't have told him that. So, how did he know?

Andriet seemed to hum to himself, marveling at his prize he finally caught. "Do you want to know how I got ahead of you and your rebels?"

Sonic didn't say anything, but the King answered regardless.

"I knew, because you have a little rat among that group."

Sonic's stomach seemed to punch his straight in the gut, feeling his stomach reach his throat.

"W-What are you….?"

"Oh Sonic," The king gripped into Sonic's head, giving it a hard squeeze.

It made Sonic grit his teeth in pain. He dared not show any satisfaction to the King.

"My dark knight is doing his duty for me and his people."

Shadow.

"No!" Sonic shouted, not truly believing what he was hearing. "You're lying!"

"Oh, but I'm not. In fact, if I recall, he's working on my little girl's strategy as I speak. Once they have an agreement, I'll have a letter sending me their plan and I'll have her back just before sunrise."

The king seemed so delighted at his words, like a kid opening a present on Christmas day.

"Then she'll be able to watch and witness your demise tomorrow morning."

"No…."

"Oh, yes, rodent." Andriet spoke, bending down to Sonic's level. He grabbed the boy's face drawing it closer. "Tell me, hedgehog. Did you really think you had a chance with my daughters' hand?"

Sonic let his eyes fight through the King's. This only seemed to make the king laugh.

"You didn't stand a chance. Your people won't have a criminal as their king."

"Oh, yeah? Heh," Sonic's signature smirk made itself noticeable. "That's funny coming from a murderer's mouth. Don't you think?"

"I don't find your words humorous, child."

"You're a murderer. I haven't done anything wrong against you nor my country." Sonic spat out.

"Indeed, but the people don't know that."

"Amy does."

"My daughter can do little about it. She shares no importance to the throne. She's hardly a threat to me."

"Heh, I think you underestimate her."

"No, Sonic." Andriet smirked, slapping Sonic as hard as he could. "You are just blinded by love."

Sonic shook his head, feeling his nose trickling with blood. "Y-You'll see."

"I'm sure I will, boy." He said, fixing his composure. "Enjoy your last few hours. By sunrise tomorrow, I'll have you publicly hanged and finally rid of this resistance group you accumulated."

Andriet stood and walked back up the steps that led out of the underground dungeon. But not before he took another look at the hedgehog.

"You've been careful about crossing my path for years, but you let my daughter weaken your wits."

With that, the King let the little light that shined in this place follow the royal highness. Sonic was once again left in total darkness, letting the dim black be his only comfort.

Sonic let his eyes fall to the floor, but only to have them look back up with a bright light.

"Heh, Amy Rose, you plan to rescue me?" Sonic smiled as he spoke, feeling his heart warm the cold room. "Then, I pray you do not fail. I can't bare to see your face when I die."

* * *

 **ANDDDDDD THERE'S CHAPTER 14!**

 **OH look who's alive and back finally XD College is something let me tell y'all.**

 **Now that my last exam is Monday next week, we will finally be back to posting schedule! That's right XD No longer will y'all have to wait so long for the story to continue and finish.**

 **Chapter 15 will be posted next Thursday!**

 ** ** **~Anyway, Thanks for reading and reviews are GREATLY appreciated! :-)******


	15. Renegade

**Chapter 15: Renegade**

Knuckles boasted as he won yet another victory against the princess. He chanted and sung in victory as Amy huffed at another defeat against him.

"This is going nowhere." Amy commented, stomping her foot in frustration. "I can barely lay a single hit on you!"

"I told you I was the best!" Knuckles chuckled and held out his chest, obviously prideful of his work so far today.

It did irritate Amy slightly. Hours and hours of work leading to little progress in honing her skills with her new weapon. It didn't help that Knuckles was gloating on his own success against hers.

Tails sat a few distance away from the two, letting his back lay against the building of the tavern. Even he was getting frustrated at the echidna.

"Knuckles," Tails hollered, hopefully loud enough for the echidna to hear past the air in his head, "Can you take it easy on her? Come on, she's still not used to this type of thing."

"Huh?" Knuckles whirled his head around and tilted his head.

Suppose he didn't hear him past that air, huh?

"Never mind." Tails mumbled, crossing his arms and looking to the side. "Not like you'll listen with that big head of yours."

"I heard that!"

"Oh, you heard that?!"

Amy groaned, not really in the mood for the two friend's bickering. It was funny, but annoying considering the situation.

Knuckles let his steam cool and smoke out his ears. He took a deep breath and put his attention back to the pink hedgehog. "Sorry about that. Where were we?"

"We were at the part where you gloat about your victory." Amy smartly stated, not showing much pleasure in her face.

"Okay, okay." Knuckles raised his hands. "I admit, I was being a bit… Overboard."

"That's more of an understatement, Knuckles." Tails butted in, earning another huff from the echidna, but the fox laughed it off anyway.

"This is hopeless." Amy let her hammer fall to the ground, sitting on the head. She let her hands cup her face as she slouched over in defeat. "I can't do this."

"Amy…" Tails spoke out, walking over to her. "Don't say that. What would Sonic say?"

Amy then felt her cheeks blush, but quickly covered it up with the side of her hands. She looked away from Tails, not wanting him to see her embarrassment.

Tails raised an eyebrow but shrugged it off and pulled her attention back to him by shaking her shoulder.

"He… He wouldn't be happy, I suppose." Amy admitted. "He would want me to keep trying…" She hated to say it, but she knew it was true.

"That's right." Tails seemed to beam. "Sonic I'm sure would want you to keep at it. I know it's hard, but you can do it."

"It's not just the weapon I have no faith in… I guess I still don't have much faith in myself."

To be frank, Amy was afraid she would fail everyone. She couldn't bare the thought of letting these people down. While yes, they were technically criminals and princesses should not associate themselves with such party, Amy knew they probably had done little and more so have just went against the King's wishes.

Amy trusted Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. Even if Shadow did not, she knew they were good people deep down. They seem sincere to her at least.

Besides, if their intentions were bad, they would have already done something bad to her.

Right?

 _Right_

Amy trusted Sonic mostly… After growing a bound with him, she couldn't help but be infatuated with the mysterious hedgehog. Being with him made her world seem at peace. She felt at peace with him.

She wondered if he felt the same way.

I mean, he almost kissed her twice. Not only that, but the second time he almost seemed like he was willing to steal that first kiss with her. She wishes she could've at least shared that with him at least.

But they couldn't.

Amy also felt responsible for Sonic's capture. If she had just listened to Shadow and stayed behind or maybe if she would have let Sonic bring his sword, maybe they wouldn't be in this situation. Sonic would be the leader and not her.

She had no doubt that Sonic could've led the victory no problem, but now it all lied on her shoulders.

And she didn't like it at all. It was too much pressure on the girl.

"I believe in you, Amy." Knuckles finally spoke out, giving her a warm smile.

"I do too." Tails added, rubbing her shoulder. It did help her feel a little better… "Remember who this is for, Amy."

Amy didn't want to disappoint her people, Sonic, nor her mother. Her mother… This was what this was for: her mother's justice, alongside Sonic's fathers'.

If she failed to give justice, could she even call herself a princess?

Amy knew she had to keep pushing herself. She just had to do it for her mother and her country's sake. The reign of her father's rule had to end.

"You're right." Amy said, still a little unsure of herself.

"Besides," Knuckles rubbed her quills, "I rather you lead us to a failure with a fury in your soul than one that doesn't try. All we care is if you try. That's all Sonic would care- Okay maybe he would like to win but- '"

Tails cleared his throat, stopping the echidna from going further. He wasn't helping much. "Anyway, the point is that we will be at your side ready or not."

"And I suppose I'm going to have to be ready soon."

"I know you may not think it, but I think you've got enough practice with that hammer to knock out the King."

"And if he thinks so, so do I."

Amy nodded at the two, giving them a smile. "Yeah, well, I guess all we can do now is see what strategies Shadow thought of."

Amy handed her hammer to Knuckles and made her way back into the old tavern. She pushed some of the drunken crowd aside to make it to the staircase. A few trips and jumps over drunken bodies later, and she finally made it to the second floor of the building.

Walking back inside Sonic's quarters, Amy saw Shadow standing over the map, writing something on a blank sheet of paper. He strangely seemed focused on it too.

Shadow did notice Amy's presence, however, and quickly moved the letter under the map.

Curious, Amy couldn't help but ask, "What are you writing?"

"Battle notes." Shadow lied, putting his focus back on the map that laid on the table before him. "I figured out a plan." He added, grabbing Amy's curiosity away from the letter.

"Oh?" She moved to the dark knight's side, looking at the map she looked at hours ago. Nothing seemed different. "Um, I don't see any plans."

"Let me explain."

Shadow pulled a box of chess pieces out, laying the white pieces and black ones on the map. The white pieces represented the King and his army, while the black represented them. All the white pieces were present and accounted for, while there were four black pieces to represent the rebels.

Shadow then laid the black queen behind the white chess pieces, representing their capture of Sonic.

"Why is Sonic a queen here? Wouldn't he be the king?" Amy asked.

"Well, you're the leader, so you're the king piece now." Shadow then smirked, "Besides, he acts like a drama queen."

Amy let a giggle slip past her lips. "Okay, okay. So, what plan do you have in mind?"

"The plan is the take Tails, Knuckles, you and I and march up to the castle. I figure we could rile up some people as we past through villages and gain a small army that way. There's no chance we will get anywhere with just us four."

"That's true."

"Anyway," Shadow continued, "we can gather a crowd, march to the castle, then hope our numbers will force the King to step down."

"How will that save Sonic, Shadow?" Amy asked, a little concerned of his plan. "I mean, the plan is great, but that doesn't ensure Sonic's safety either."

"That's the best plan we got."

"Okay, but…." Amy hesitated to speak out, not wanting to go entirely against Shadow's idea. Though she thought it was a good one, she didn't really like it either.

How does it promise Sonic can come out of it alive?

It doesn't and that's what worries the princess. She wants to rescue Sonic first and then put her father out of commission. She wasn't sure if stirring up attention was the right way to go.

Amy let her mind think for a moment, trying to gather any ideas on a better plan than this one. One where she could grab Sonic in a swift and quiet matter that makes it more likely for success.

Let's be frank, her father was unpredictable. Going with Shadow's plan could work for the moment, but her father could make a daring move to kill Sonic even if he surrendered.

Andriet had a lot of power at the moment and finding a way to belittle that power will most likely end in better results.

That's when Amy thought of the perfect idea.

"I think gathering a crowd will attract too much attention. I like the idea of sticking with four." Shadow nodded showing his attention on the princess. Amy continued. "The four of us will sneak into the castle and grab Sonic from the castle's dungeon. That ensures us at least that my father won't have a full advantage over him and limit any power he thinks he has. Once we have that advantage, Sonic and I will force him to surrender."

Shadow blinked a few times, surprised on how Amy thought of this. He was in complete awe to say the least.

"I'm impressed, Princess."

"Really?"

"Yes, it is very smart, but I hope you have ideas for backups here."

"Only if pushed to it." Amy smiled at herself, but let a frown form on her face, "I wonder if Mother would be proud…"

"She…" Shadow started, but gripped his hands on the table while his eyes fixed themselves on the map,

Amy saw this, a little confused at her friends' actions. He looked upset or maybe a little disappointed. She wasn't really sure.

"She would be very proud of you, Amy…" Shadow finally breathed out, making Amy suddenly feel the heaviness in his words.

What she didn't realize in this moment was that battle he was fighting within himself. Shadow felt so much guilt in what he was planning behind her back. It made him feel so dirty…

"Are you alright?" The pink hedgehog asked, reaching for his hand, which Shadow quickly snatched away from her reach.

"I'm fine, your majesty." He said with little to no emotion. His eyes were as flat as his voice. "Just get everyone ready, yeah?"

Amy hesitated, wanting to help her friend in any way she could, but it was hard to argue with Shadow. So, she decided it would be wise to listen to him this time.

Shadow waited for her departure before pulling out the piece of paper he had hid before. He continued to glide the ink and pem on the letter, detailing the plan Amy had told him the best he could.

"I shouldn't be doing this…" He said out loud, stopping his hand in mid-sentence. "But… I can't let Amy get herself killed. I can't…"

Shadow let his mind beat itself before finishing his letter and finally stamping the it. He gripped onto it, making the paper wrinkle in his grasp.

"I rather her be mad at me than to get hurt by her unpredictable father." He sighed, letting his grip ease.

Shadow opened the window to the room and looked around making sure there was no one in direct sight. Knuckles was still in the back, seeming to be practicing his skills like before. But he was distracted enough not to notice.

After a few moments, a hedgehog, who was possibly in his teens, snuck around the tavern and met Shadow at the window.

"Got the plans, knight?" The boy asked.

"Indeed." Shadow let the letter fall from the window and into the boy's hands. The boy gripped onto the letter. "That is what the plan is. Now deliver it to the King immediately."

"Yes, Sir."

"I must get back to the Princess. So, make haste." Shadow waved the boy off and hurried to meet back up Amy.

The boy nodded and make a quick dash around the tavern and headed straight to the road.

But Knuckles saw the boy run in a hurry and immediately went after the stranger. He ran as fast as he could, waving his fist in the air.

"Hey!"

The boy heard him, but dared not to look back and kept his speed.

Knuckles grew angry, but mostly suspicious of this stranger. He then lifted his fist, slamming it into the ground as hard as he possibly could.

The ground shook with a quick shake, but it was enough to knock the boy off his feet. He fell and dropped the letter before him. The boy tried to scramble himself back to his feet, but it was too late.

Knuckles tackled the boy to the ground, holding his arms to the dirt's mercy. "Who are you?!" Knuckles shouted, showing his power over his capture.

"D-Don't hurt me...!" The boy pleaded.

"I said who are you!" Knuckles demanded.

"Don't kill me. I'm- I'm just the messenger!"

"Messenger…?" Knuckles questioned. "What are you talking about?"

"I was sent by the King to retrieve letters from his spy… I-I swear."

"Who is this spy?" Knuckles gritted his teeth, "Tell me, now."

"The King sent me to send back letters from the black knight."

"Shadow…" Knuckles spoke, a little surprised at the kid's truth. "Get out of here."

Knuckles released the kid as he scurried away back home. Looking to the ground, Knuckles grabbed the letter and gazed it over. He knew his eyes would never betray him, but what he read was unbelievable. Shadow was a traitor.

"Knuckles?" Tails called out, holding his hands over his mouth to make distance of his voice. "What are you doing? Amy's ready to get going with the order."

"Not right now she's not." Knuckles walked over to his friend and geld the paper up for the fox to see. Tails only seemed to tilt his head in confusion.

"What is…?"

"This is a letter of blasphemy against her majesty. Shadow the Hedgehog is a traitor." Knuckles spoke, loud enough for anyone inside to hear. Hopefully loud enough for Amy to hear.

Amy heard it, but so did the dark knight himself. They both came rushing outside to see what the red echidna was blasting his vocals about.

Amy was the first to speak, "Knuckles, what's wrong?"

"You're so-called Knight has betrayed us." Knuckles snapped, holding nothing back as he glared down at the black hedgehog.

"You dare make accusations?" Shadow said in disgust. "How dare you. What is even your proof?"

"This is my proof." Knuckles held out the letter, making Shadow's eyes shrink and his body freeze in place.

Amy took the note and read it over. Every line she read, every word written in ink was that of her own she had only shared with Shadow. Not yet had she even told Tails or Knuckles. Just Shadow.

Amy felt her heart jab itself with a knife, making her eyes want to water, but she held it back. She did not want to show weakness to anyone, not even Shadow.

"Is this true…?" Amy finally spoke to Shadow while she started at the letter.

"Amy, I- '"

"Is it true?" She asked once more, facing Shadow with a shaken voice. She held so much anger, pain, and hurt in her eyes. So much that it nearly broke Shadow's own heart.

Had he made the wrong choice here?

"I…" Shadow hesitated, not wanting to be honest knowing it would hurt the princess even more. But he knew it would make his situation worse if he lied to her. He couldn't do that to her. "It is." He admitted.

"How… How could you?" Amy felt her eyes water again, but she didn't feel like fighting them back from the hurt she was having. Her friend, no, her best friend betrayed her. The one who's been there the longest for her, just broke a bridge she never thought he'd destroy: her trust.

"Princess, just see that I'm not the enemy here."

"You are a renegade, Shadow. A traitor…. I trusted you." Amy felt her throat tighten, it hurt her to speak, but it stung worse in her heart. Having her best friend betray her like he did…

"I'm sorry, princess, but I'm just doing my job and protecting you." Shadow reached out to her, "Please, just come home without trouble."

"And what of Sonic and his friends? What will be of them?"

"I am not certain, but maybe the King will have mercy- '"

"He won't, and you know it!" Amy felt the handle of her hammer suddenly appear in her hands. She gripped hard onto it, holding it behind her back, ready to charge up a good swing. "I won't go home easy. Fight me if you really believe you can drag me back."

"…So be it."

Shadow drew out his blade, bending his knees before making a swift strike at the girl. Amy was quick enough to block his blade against her hammer. The power behind Shadow's blade was intimidating for the girl, but she was not going to back down from this fight.

She was determined to win.

Amy pushed the black knight back with her weapon to gain some distance between them. She let her feet take charge and rushed at the hedgehog. Amy let her arms pull her weapon far back, swinging it back around in a swift move.

Shadow had no time to react and felt the full force of her hammer to his face. He felt his back skid across the dirt, marking his landing like a meteorite colliding into Earth. His back was hot, but at least his armor kept him from getting any bad damage.

It still hurt him regardless since his head also hit the ground pretty hard.

Amy let her tears roll down her face as she fought. She wanted to let Shadow see what he did to her. He had to see the damage he put on this girl, and that killed him inside.

Shadow didn't want to hurt the girl, he just wanted to keep her safe from her father. He had to make her realize that.

"Amy, I was trying to protect you." He tried to reason with her, but Amy wasn't having it.

"Protecting me?" She questioned, "Shadow, you hurt me… just like my father did by killing my mother!" She shouted, feeling the rage and hurt in her voice. It was like listening to an instrument break a chord.

Shadow felt it shred his heart apart, which did not help him focus in the fight with the pink hedgehog.

"I don't want to hurt you…"

"Shadow, you already have." She said flatly, letting her hammer drop to the ground. "You…" Everything suddenly came out. Her tears broke into streams. Amy couldn't control it now, letting the force of her emotions take over. She fell on all fours and wept, letting her tears flood down her cheeks to the ground before her.

Shadow's eyes cracked as he watched her break in front of him. They cracked and felt like thin ice about to melt from his cold stare. He couldn't bare to look at her… It broke his own heart.

This girl was ready to fight him only seconds ago, now laid on the ground too broken to pick herself back up.

It was at that moment that Shadow realized he had destroyed their bond in an instant. Almost no different than her father.

Maybe Shadow didn't actually murder a soul, but he killed Amy with his actions. He broke the girl…

"I killed you…" Shadow felt his voice shake, ashamed at himself for troubling her like so.

Amy found a lot of comfort from Mother Earth, but she had to push herself through. Without even another glance at her knight, she spoke, "I never want to see you again. Do you hear me?"

Shadow didn't dare say a word, he was too afraid he would speak and make her more ill. So, he kept his mouth shut, and let his eyes look before the dirt.

Amy looked to Tails and Knuckles, "Let's go…" She spoke softly, not caring that they saw her tears and red cheeks.

The pink hedgehog picked up her hammer, grasping it tightly, and lead on down the path home. Tails and Knuckles followed closely behind as they marched forward, leaving the renegade behind like an abandoned animal on the street.

* * *

 **ANDDDD THERE'S CHAPTER 15! :0**

 **Yo, we are at the last few chapters of this story and I'm just so excited to be wrapping it all up nicely. Hopefully you guys will like how it ends and all.**

 **Funny thing about this chapter's name, I was going to call it something else, but it didn't have a good ring to it. So, I listened to one of my favorite songs called Renegade by Manafest and got the inspiration for the title there.**

 **Since we are about 5 chapters away from finishing the story, there is a poll on my profile BIO where you guys can vote what I write next! So go vote if you want more stories from me XD (I think it's only visible on computers)**

 **Also, guess who passed all her exams. ME, which kind of surprised me, but hey I'm not gonna complain. I'm another semester closer to my degree.  
**

 **Also a quick Happy Birthday to one of my readers, SupernaturalSonicfan!  
**

 **Next Thursday Chapter 16 will be posted.**

 **~Anyway, Thanks for reading and reviews are** **GREATLY** **appreciated! ;-)**


	16. Weird, But Helpful Merchants

**Chapter 16: Weird, But Helpful Merchants**

Darkness soon wore itself like a blanket over the land of Ocovia. Crickets sang silent somber as owls occasionally joined the night bugs in song. The sky was clear, and the moon lit the way for all to see. While all was silent and still, our three heroes pressed onward. They forced their feet to make speed but were careful of any watchful eyes in their journey.

Knuckles made sure to keep his eyes open and scan their surroundings of any possible guard waiting for them. If anyone were to see that the princess was out and about with two outlaws, they were sure to be reported and the King would have them arrested immediately.

But now that Shadow was forced out of commission by Amy, everything seemed more possible for the crew. Without the King having knowledge of their whereabouts and plan, they had more chance to save Sonic.

Amy had already lost precious time with her quick fight with Shadow, maybe loosing an hour of daylight because of it, but even still she had to make sure she got home as quickly as she could.

"My feet are killing me." Tails complained, slowing his pace enough for Knuckles to bump into him.

Amy looked back at the two, who obviously looked exhausted already in their few hours walk from the Tavern.

"This would be faster if we had Sonic's speed." Knuckles commented.

"Yeah, I know," Amy spoke softly, "but we have to keep going. If we don't get to the castle by sunrise, Sonic will be dead. We have to get there."

"Yeah, I don't want my brother to die…" Tails suddenly grabbed his own two tails for comfort, squeezing and twisting them in his palms.

"Don't worry, Tails, Sonic won't die." Knuckles reassured the young fox, rubbing his back to ease the kid's anxiety.

"I promise that I will make sure we get there in time…" Amy tried to convince Tails, but mainly herself at this point. "We will… I just know it."

"How?" Knuckles questioned her. "We still have hours of walking through this forest and not to mention we have to get past the castle village to get anywhere near the palace."

"There's also the concern of the body of water the castle lays on. It's at least about a mile to swim." Tails raised more concerns.

"We can walk on the bridge, right?" Knuckles asked.

"Yeah, but it's probably heavily guarded, Knuckles. There's no way just the three of us can get past a huge group of guards at their post." Tails answered the red echidna, who got frustrated at the kid's answer.

"Let's just focus on the now." Amy suggested, not wanting to add more worry to her head. "We need to find another way to get to the town's village at a more reasonable rate than this- '"

Amy was cut off by the sound of a horse's hooves on the dirt. Behind them was a horse being led by a hooded stranger who was driving a large wagon. The wagon was painting in bright red paint that had a few wood marks here and there. The wheels were yellow and squeaked as they moved and came to a quick halt in front of the heroes.

Knuckles quickly pulled out his twin axes while also forcing distance from Tails and Amy of the unknown before them.

The hooded one who sat on the seat of the cart suddenly turned his head to Knuckles. He pulled his hood down slowly, trying to pose as no threat. He was a purple chameleon who had a yellow horn to his forehead. His eyes were sharp and held gold embers in them. He held a frown, but let a small smile break it.

"A little late to be out and about, don't you think?" He spoke in a low tone, but it didn't come off as menacing at all. In fact, it was a little welcoming.

"Don't ask questions. It's none of your concern." Knuckles warned, still gripping onto his twin weapons.

"I see."

"Who are you?" Amy asked the chameleon stranger.

"I am Espio and I bet you are the Princess, correct?"

"I-I am…" Amy stuttered, now a little more unsure.

The purple chameleon was about to open his mouth once again, but one of the windows on the wagon suddenly swung open. The light emitted from inside revealed a green crocodile poking half his body out the window. He looked a little intimidating to Amy, but friendly too?

"Hey, you're the princess of Ocovia."

"Uh, yeah, and you are?" Amy asked again.

"They call me Vector, and this is my merchant wagon. We sell a lot of goods around the land to make some money. Did you want to buy something?"

"Vector, they don't want what you're selling."

"Quiet, Espio!"

"Very well…" Espio sighed, shaking his head in defeat.

"We sell the best of the best and the best of the worst." Vector went on, letting his big mouth ramble. "You need some food for the trip? We got you covered. How about clothes to run away from a crazy King? We have you covered with that too!"

Knuckles groaned and covered his ears. "Please, make it stop."

"Uh, Vector, we aren't really interested in buying any goods from you." Amy said.

"If anything, we have wasted more time being here." Knuckles mumbled. "So, I suppose we can't buy that time back?"

"Nope," Vector answered, "and since you aren't buying, I guess we will be on our way- '"

"Wait!" Tails hollered and ran to the window. "We might can use some service of you."

"What are you getting at, kid?"

"Well," Tails started, "long story short we are way behind time on something and we need a faster way to get to the castle village."

"Oh," Vector smiled and held out his hand, rubbing his fingers together. "I'd love to be at service, if I just had some money."

"Vector, we don't give rides- '" Espio tried to explain, but his crocodile friend cut him off once again.

"None sense, Espio." Vector hollered, opening the back doors of the wagon. "We will gladly be at service for the Princess at the right price."

Amy didn't even have to think about it and was already climbing in the doorway. "I'll pay you a good amount of gold. But we need to get there fast."

"Yes, ma'am."

Amy motioned Tails and Knuckles to follow, which they did. Knuckles did hesitate a few times, but he trusted Amy enough to go along with it.

"As long as this gets us to Castle town before sunrise." Knuckles spoke out.

"It will." Vector said to him, slamming the door shut. "This baby is the fastest wagon in the land."

"Vector, all wagons go around the same speed- '"

"Quiet, Espio, and drive!"

"Ugh, very well…"

The wagon roared back to life once Espio slashed the reins, commanding the horses to work their feet. Vector sat down on wood floor as it rocked around every now and then.

Amy scanned her surroundings, seeing that the inside of the wagon was a lot bigger than she thought originally. It almost looked like a decent sized bedroom a royal maid would have. The walls were decorated in stripped wall paper and the floors had soft rugs. There was a wood burning stove that took up most of the living space in the corner of the wagon. Beside that there was small pile of wood to burn. A small wash area across from the stove. A table laid in the middle of the room and two hammocks parallel to each other on the opposite side of the room.

Amy would assume that the hot stove kept the two merchants warm at night when it got cold. It was overall a cozy little living space.

Would she be crazy to say she wouldn't mind living in a small space like this? She actually wouldn't mind living in one as small and cozy as this with Sonic…

"This place is really nice." Amy commented, feeling the warmth from the wood stove.

"Yeah, it's great." Vector spoke. "I much prefer this over moving into a big house. Espio and I have been moving all around the place with this wagon. This is home to us."

"Seems a little limited." Knuckles noted.

"It is, but that's how we like it." Vector looked over to Amy. "I'm surprised you like it."

"Surprised?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, I figured your position would prefer big living space and such. This is a bit small, even for peasants."

"I thought so too, but I actually would like to live like this. It's different and I like it."

"But Princesses should live in castles." Vector stated.

"Maybe, but who says I can't change the rules a little bit?"

"Hm, you can't do that with your father in power." Knuckles budded in.

"So, why do you need to go to Castle town anyway?" Vector asked.

"We need to save Sonic." Tails said.

"Wait, Sonic the Hedgehog? The Winged Saber?" Vector asked, looking a little baffled at Tails' words. "He actually got himself captured? No way!"

"Well," Amy twisted a part of her dress, a little embarrassed and ashamed, "I got him locked up. It was my fault."

"Amy…" Knuckles rubbed her shoulder, "it's not your fault."

"Yeah, but I should have at least made him bring his weapon… I just thought it was going to be safe when we went out. I was mistaken…"

"Hey, kid, we all make mistakes." Vector stated, hoping to give her some sort of ease. "Like when I was just a little croc, I ate a shoe."

"It's true!" Espio hollered through the wind, which made the entire group laugh.

"Yeah, laugh it off." Vector chuckled to himself. "Just be at ease princess, we will get you to your destination and hopefully you can save Sonic in time."

Amy gave him a small nod, letting her eyes drift to the window of the wagon.

"I hope you're right."

* * *

 **ANDDDD THERE'S CHAPTER 16!**

 **I know this is a really short chapter, but Christmas week really sneaked up on me and I'm with family as I post this. So sorry this chapter was late and short. But I hope you guys like it regardless.**

 **Next Thursday Chapter 17 will be posted!**

 **~AnyWHO, thank you so much for reading! Reviews are GREATLY appreciated :)**


	17. So, Do You Not Like Soap and Water?

**Chapter 17: So, Do You Not Like Soap and Water?**

Nightfall was soon coming to a dangerous end for our heroes. The weird merchants that gave them a quick ride was doing all they could to make speed to castle town. At own point, the wagon nearly fell apart when Espio made some risky sharp turns between the trees and rocks.

But none of the less, the wagon did make it to the castle's capitol town a good few minutes before the sun made its peak over the horizon. They had some time, but only short time.

Amy thanked the two merchants before jumping off their wagon. Tails and Knuckles did the same and were about to walk off before Vector stopped them suddenly.

"Hey, what about my pay?" Vector asked, crossing his arms.

"Oh, that?" Amy gave a nervous smile as she slowly backed away. "We will get to that arrangement… once I take down my father!" And with that she high tailed it out with her two friends, letting Vector's jaw drop as he ate her dust.

"Hey, we did not agree to that!" He shouted at the princess but sighed in defeat. "She better win for my sake."

"Don't be rude."

"Quiet, Espio!"

Amy, Tails, and Knuckles walked until they found a good place to hide and examine their surroundings. On the hill they stood, the village was pretty big, and a lot of village houses stood between them and their destination.

"There it is." Knuckles pointed out, looking at the castle that sat a good ways away from them. "The village and water are the only thing that stands between us and Sonic."

"Kind of." Tails commented, pointing around to the moving torches in the village. "You see that? I think those could be guards. So not only do we have water and a big village, but we also have guards to worry about."

"Not to mention panicking people." Amy mentioned. "Who knows if my father said something to them about reporting if they see us."

"Good point." Knuckles sighed and looked to Amy. "What's the plan here?"

"Well," Amy started, "we got this far. So, now we just need to be careful and sneak past the guards as we go through the village."

Tails nodded and rubbed his chin. "We could also hide between houses as we go. That's about the only cover we have."

"Exactly," Amy said, "then once we get to the water, we will have to swim across."

"Let's get to it then." Knuckles grunted, clearly ready for anything.

Amy nodded and led the small group down the hill, sliding down as quietly as they could. They all hide behind the first house that sat beside the hill, waiting for the right moment to move on to the next.

There were lights that dimmed down as it distanced itself from Amy's point, and they hurried to the next house to hide behind.

"We have maybe a good hour before Sonic's execution." Knuckles pointed out, watching for anyone who could possibly see their whereabouts.

"That's enough time." Amy said, looking over the corner of the house. "We just need to be quick. The guards here in this village are in our way and costing us that time."

"We need a distraction." Tails suggested.

"Exactly." Amy thought for a moment, letting her thoughts find a solution. They didn't find one, but Knuckles seemed to have a perfect idea.

"Hey, why don't I distract while you and Tails make a run for it?"

"Well, that depends what you have in mind for a distraction…" Amy said with hesitation.

"Just trust me." Knuckles patted her shoulder before running past her and hurried into the village.

"Ah- '" Amy was about to grab him when Tails stopped her from doing so. "Tails?"

"He's got something planned. I trust him enough to think of something."

Amy wasn't so sure, but she trusted Tails and his words. Though, she wasn't sure if letting Knuckles think of a diversion was very wise. She did have a lot to lose here: someone's life. But Amy had to put trust somewhere with these two.

They are Sonic's friends after all. It couldn't be that bad.

 _Granted, Sonic was a little bit risky in general…_

The two waited for what seemed like forever until they finally heard a bunch of yelling and what sounded like singing from a small crowd.

Amy looked at Tails a bit confused but decided to follow the source of the loud sounds. It led them in the middle of the town square, where Amy saw Knuckles surrounded by many guards. All the guards were dancing and singing while they held steins in their hands. Their faces were slightly blushed, from what could be assumed as rum as the source of it. Knuckles stood in the middle, leading the cause of the commotion. Somehow, he was able to get all the town's guards drunk and… wait this was there distraction!

 _Knuckles, you're a genius._

Amy did not hesitate once her mind sprung into action. She grabbed Tails' arm and ran openly through the streets of the town. Since they did not have to worry much from sneaking around, this was the perfect time to run and get to the lake as fast as possible.

"I should've known he'd do that." Tails laughed as he followed close behind, letting a smile form on his face.

"It's dumb, but a brilliant plan none of the less. The guards do love to drink." Amy laughed along with the fox.

Soon enough, the two finally made good progress and followed the stream of a river's mouth. Following the river that ran around the outside of the village finally led them to the end where the river met the lake. There, in the center of the lake, the castle sat on a small island where the walls stood high and mighty. A long bridge, connecting the front gates and the side Amy stood on, connected the two lands. This was the only way in and out unless you swam in the water itself.

"Still a long way to go…" Tails sighed, feeling himself get a little shaky. "Do you really think swimming is the best option?"

"Well, no, but it's our only option." Amy answered. "The bridge always has guards patrolling it every day and night."

Tails looked at the castle, seeing guard's patrolling the top of the towers, adding more worry to him. "They might see us…"

"They would," Amy agreed, "but I think I have an idea for that."

"And that would be?"

Amy moved further in towards the bridge of the castle with Tails following close behind. She made sure to get close to the side of the bridge, making sure no guard on watch would see them in the open.

Amy then took a deep breath before advancing her next move. She went under the bridge, letting the arch hide her in its shadow before deciding to swim in the water.

Tails, understanding her idea, followed and got in the water as well. "Swimming under the bridge to stay undetected?" Tails asked, making sure his voice stayed in a low hush.

"No guards can see us under here. This is safest and honestly the best shot we got right now."

Amy and Tails continued to swim in the water, letting their feet do most of the work. They had to do a lot of work to make sure they did not make much sound as they swam, and believe me, that's harder than you think.

Every now and then they had to stop and make sure they didn't hear any guards get suspicious of their movements. Luckily, they were quiet enough for them not to even get noticed.

After a few minutes of constant swimming in the cold water, Amy finally made it to the opposite side of the bridge. She helped Tails out of the water before walking over to an opening in the ground.

It looked like a big tunnel, but it smelt terrible and just horrid. Amy couldn't even begin to tell anyone what it smelt like, but all you need to know… well, it was basically the castle's sewer hole.

"Gross…" Tails complained, holding his hand to his nose. "This is how we are getting inside?"

"I hadn't planned on it…" To be frank, Amy didn't even know this was here. But hey, if an opportunity is there, take it.

"… So no underground tunnels in your castle?" Tails asked, hoping to find another way inside. Amy just shook her head at the fox.

"Not that I know of. Even if we did, my father would probably never tell me about it and my mother never lived to tell me anyway."

Amy pulled up her dress above her ankles before diving straight in the stink hole. She felt her nose start to crinkle from the stench, but she had to put it aside, no matter how much she hated it.

Tails groaned before finally following her behind in the cruddy pit of doom.

The tunnel was long and as dark as you'd expect. Every step they took was light walking through thick mud. Amy really hoped what she was walking through was mud, but she tried not to think on it too much.

Anyway, the tunnel was long and felt like it went on and on. Though, that's not saying much due to not being able to tell what time it could be down here. Heck, the stench just might kill them before they live to know what time has passed.

Time seems to past a lot slower when nothing exhilarating or exciting is happening. It seems to go agonizingly slow and almost never ending when, in reality, only a few seconds or minutes go by.

It's only been two minutes for them.

"Why is it taking so long?" Tails asked, feeling his stomach turn the further they walked.

"I'm sure there will be a way out soon." Amy said, also feeling her stomach want to crawl out of her. "We just need to keep going."

Tails sighed but nodded at the princess. "Sonic's going to get a kick out of this when he hears about us going into sewer waters for him."

"Oh, I'm sure he will." Amy rolled her eyes before stopping at the sound of a man yelling above them. "What…?"

Feet seemed to be pacing on the floor above frantically. Tails also heard it too and stopped to listen as well.

Amy then heard the voice getting louder until she could guess the person was above her head. The voice she knew too well was her fathers.

"Why haven't I gotten anything back from that dark knight." Andiret yelled, obviously frustrated.

"My king," John, the king's advisor, spoke as softly as he could, "give it time."

"We have no time." The king screamed louder. "That blue hedgehog has something up his sleeves. I can feel it under my feet."

Ironic.

Amy only shook her head as she continued on, leaving the voices as she continued the unknown with Tails.

"We were lucky to caught Shadow in the act, huh? Now we have the advantage"

"Yeah," Amy said, feeling her heart tug again, "but I still wish he was here to help us. He… He was a great friend. I understand why he did it; to protect me, but I don't understand why he couldn't just believe my father is bad."

"It's probably a lot for him to take it to begin with. Maybe he'll come around."

"Maybe." Amy said, letting her voice carry her emotion.

After much tugging through muck and god knows what, Amy finally meet a light that peeked above their heads. It was obvious something laid above the opening that held onto that light and she knew that had to be an opening somewhere in the castle.

"This might be it." Amy spoke, hearing Tails nearly cheer and jump for joy, but then suddenly gasp.

"Ew, I got something wet in my eye!" Tails frantically rubbed his face.

"Shh," Amy put a finger to his lip, silencing him, "we don't know what's up there. We need to be cautious and careful."

"Right."

Amy pushed herself to her toes as she pressed her hands onto whatever held them between the underground and the inside of the castle. She pushed and used all the strength she had, but it didn't seem to want to budge.

Tails joined her and pushed the metal object as hard as he possibly could. Both their power combined seemed to finally move the opening up, revealing more light to them.

"I think we got it." Tails said as him and Amy pushed the opening to the side, revealing their way out.

"Thank goodness." Amy picked up Tails, being as small as he was compared to her, and pushed him through the hole. Once he made in through, he stretched out his hand and pulled her through as well.

Finally, both were out of that mucky tunnel and in a dark and wet area of the castle. The room had not much light except for maybe a torch or two that hung on the walls. There were a few chains on the walls and metal bars all lined up uniformly.

Wait a second… Isn't this the dungeon?

"Amy, Tails?"

 _That voice…_

Sure enough, Amy saw a blue hedgehog in one of the cells. His feet were chained to the floor, but he forced himself to the cell doors to get a better look at his rescuers.

"We came here to rescue you." Tails spoke, holding onto the bars. "I thought we wouldn't get here in time… Y-You're okay…"

Sonic gave his little brother a smile, rubbing his head gently. "You did good, little bro'."

"I'm so glad you're alright." Amy spoke, reaching and rubbing Sonic's cheek between the bars.

Sonic gave her a warm smile and held her hand in place. He was about to kiss her hand, but his nose prevented him from doing so, catching a whiff of something fowl.

"So, have you… like not used soap and water since I was captured?"

"Sonic!"

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding." He held his hands up defensively, chuckling as he did so.

Though, he did mean what he said. She, nor Tails, smelled too great.

"It's not like we can take showers in the middle of all this." Amy commented.

"Don't ya girls wear perfume?"

"You don't wear it, Sonic. We use it."

"Guys…" Tails spoke.

"Well, excuse me, princess. I didn't know we were going to get technical."

"Sonic- '"

"Guys!" Tails hollered at the two, a little annoyed at their bickering. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you two were married." Tails joked, making the two hedgehogs blush madly in embarrassment.

"Yeah, yeah…" Sonic waved his hand at the fox. "Can you get me out?"

"If winter comes, can spring be far behind?"

"Uh, yeah." Sonic answered.

"Sonic, that was a rhetorical question." Tails rolled his eyes, grabbing the cell's key from the wall.

"Sonic, I'm really sorry for getting you here…" Amy apologized, looking down at the floor.

Sonic saw this and moved her head up to his. "Hey, Amy, it's not your fault. Even if it was, look at you. Look how far you got. You thought of a plan to get here and now you succeeded in rescuing me. Be proud, princess."

"Yeah," Tails agreed, unlocking the cell doors and Sonic's chained feet and arms. Sonic rubbed his arms and stretched his now free limbs.

"Freedom at long last." He cheered. "Thanks, guys."

"Now what?" Tails asked.

"You, little bro'," Sonic rubbed his head, "will stay hidden here until it's safe."

"And what of you and I?" Amy also asked.

"We, are going to settle the score with your old man once and for all."

* * *

 **ANDDDD THERE'S CHAPTER 17!**

 **YOO it's 2019! What a way to start off the year than with a chapter with the sonamy babes 3**

 **Next Thursday Chapter 18 will be posted!**

 **~AnyWHO, thank you so much for reading! Reviews are** **GREATLY** **appreciated :)**


	18. Choices

**Chapter 18: Choices**

The halls of the castle were as quiet as an abandoned home that hadn't been lived in for a decade. The only sound the two hedgehogs could hear was the dance a flame would have on the wall's torch. It burned and ate away on the material it feasted on. The shadows that followed them hung over their shoulders as Sonic and Amy creeped as quietly as they could. But the shadows themselves would find any way to ruin their stealth.

Sonic walked in the front, making sure Amy stayed behind him as he walked. One hand held onto his mighty saber while the other held the torch.

Amy stayed close behind Sonic, letting her hands grip hard to her hammer's handle. Her stiffness made her hands sweat. A few times she had to wipe her hands on her blue dress and made a darker stain on her fabric.

Gross.

Sonic stopped a few times every time he thought he heard a noise.

 _CREEK_

Stop. Go.

 _CREEK_

Stop. Go.

 _CREEK-_

"Sonic," Amy said in a whisper, "if you stop one more time- '"

"Hey, it could be your father or a guard."

"Or it could be you making the noise, because of your soaked shoes."

Sonic let out a chuckle, knowing she was right about that. But he couldn't help but say, "Well, at least I smell decent."

"Oh, well excuse me."

Amy let her cheeks puff out and turn red, you could practically see the smoke come out her ears just before she let her breath out. She was like a mad pink dragon.

Sonic found this humorous, of course.

"Relax, I'm just playin', princess."

"Uh-huh."

Amy let herself focus to the taste on hand. Most of her nerves were focused on stopping her father and putting an end to his terrible rule.

"So, what's the overall plan?"

"We fight and kill him for the crimes he's committed." Sonic bluntly said.

Amy's feet came to a halt at his words, unsure if she heard him correctly.

"K-Kill him…?"

"Amy, he can't get away with his crime. He has to be put down."

"But…," She hesitated for a moment, letting her voice trail a bit, "it feels wrong to just kill him, Sonic…"

"Not to me."

Amy was once again taken back. She couldn't help but let her eyes stare into his back. Sonic did turn his face to her, letting their eye contact stay still. Amy could see the sharp and unchanging demeanor in his pupils. That told her enough that he was being truthful in his words. Her eyes, on the other hand, were clouded in confusion and fear.

Sonic could see the worry in her eyes, and he couldn't help but soften his own.

"Amy…" He breathed out, reaching out for her cheek and rubbing it lightly. She held his hand in place, trying to find some sort of understanding.

"Sonic, I know he ruined you and your family, but he doesn't deserve to just… die."

"My father was ripped from my life, Amy. I was just a kid…"

"My mother was too, Sonic." Amy reminded him, feeling the pressure to hold back her tears in her throat. It burned and made her choke up a little. "Please… don't think I'm just ignoring his crime here. But there must be another way. Anything."

Sonic searched in her jaded eyes for a moment, trying to bring himself to find a solution here. But as much as he wanted to make peace, he wanted to see the king dead. He's lost too much and could lose more if the king was kept alive. Too many people have suffered in King Andriet's hands. Too many…

Sonic would never admit that he feared the king, but he did fear what would result from Amy's wanted desire.

What would stop Andriet from trying to murder his own daughter, even if Sonic did defeat him?

Nothing.

And that's why Sonic had to end this bloody rule of the King.

But does Amy not have a point either? Ending violence with just more violence? Is that, even right? And even if it was, who is even supreme enough to decide that?

Sonic was conflicted and unsure of himself the more he pondered this. It was making his head hurt and spin.

Amy rubbed his arm, bringing him back into reality. Sonic gave her a small smile.

"Can you trust me enough to let my father live… at least enough to try to convince him to back down?" Amy asked.

Sonic said nothing but thought. He knew she had his back, I mean, she took a sword in the stomach for him. Not to mentioned marched her tail all the way here with Knuckles and Tails. She made it this far.

So, could he trust her?

Yes.

"Okay, Amy." Sonic finally said, "I will trust you once more. But I have to put him down if he threatens us in any way." Sonic sternly spoke, letting his face get more serious.

"…. Okay."

"Good, now let's get- ""

Castle guards suddenly made their presence known as they made haste toward the hedgehogs. They had swords raised up high and ready to skin alive the hooded hedgehog, letting out a battle cry as they charged forward.

Sonic was quick enough to make a good reaction. Putting his feet to the test, he made a short and hard head boost at the guards, knocking them off their feet and flying down the halls. One man even rolled like a bowling bowl into the other guards, making a perfect strike.

Sonic's short boost made a gust of wind, throwing the dust and dirt in the guard's eyes.

"Amy, you run to your dad. I'll take care of these tinmen!"

Amy nodded and dashed past the guards, leaving Sonic behind to make a mess of the knights.

The pink hedgehog wasted no time and let her feet take control. She breezed past maids and even some other guards, but nothing was stopping her. Not even the big door that led into the throne room.

No, that she decided to smack down with her hammer.

Why?

Well, wouldn't you want to?

Anyway, Amy let the dust from the room reside until she saw her father there, sitting on his thrown. He seemed almost like he was anticipating her arrival, or really, a blue hedgehog's. His eyes were red and looked as though they had not slept for days. Even so, he had a creepy grin that made his teeth come to a point.

He almost looked like some lunatic.

Amy took a step forward, holding her chest high with her hammer laying on her shoulder. She wasn't about to show him any fear.

He was the first to speak.

"Well, look who finally arrived." Andriet let his crooked smile widen, making Amy feel a bit uneasy. "Have you come to lay down that weapon and apologize?"

"No, I have come to give you a chance to lay down your weapon and surrender."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, you will give in, give the crown to someone who can rightfully rule this kingdom, and you will stay in prison for the horrible acts you have committed."

"Is that a command, Princess?"

"No, but it is a choice."

"How honorable." He almost spat out in disgust, finally standing from his throne. "My daughter, I only did what was good for the kingdom."

"Killing the queen did nothing but harm the trust of the people and created a bloody war within this kingdom."

Amy felt her heart tugging on her, but she fought back her emotions to look strong in front of her father.

"Don't you see what has happened?" She asked rhetorically, "You are blinded by hate, hungry for control and power."

"Power and control are what makes a good King, my dear."

"Maybe, but how you brought it was not right. You loved my mother…" She hesitated, but let her words speak. "…But you killed her for power- '"

"Your mother was weak and did not let me thrive as a king! She should have learned her place when she married me. I am king! I am king!"

Andriet lunged forward, letting his sword's power come from his shoulders. He swung his sword at Amy with such force and power that it made her feet slide against the floor as she blocked his attacked.

Andriet and Amy were nose to nose, but never did they break eye contact nor their guard. Amy could feel the strength in his blade, but she was confident in her abilities and showed no fear to him.

The pink hedgehog pushed Andriet back with her hammer, making a swift swing at his head. But he was able to dodge it and catch his footing.

"Father, please, I don't want you to get hurt." Amy pleaded, but the King didn't seem to care. He continued to make rash and violent swings at his daughter.

Amy wasn't sure what to do other than to block his reckless attacks. He was attacking based on his rage, lack of sleep and craziness.

Andriet lashed his sword against the hilt of her hammer. His pupils shrinking more and more each time he lashed out his weapon. His eyes were redder than before, letting a sinister laugh escape his lips.

"Oh how the little princess hides before her hammer!"

Amy wasn't even sure who this was anymore. This couldn't be her father. Her father was nice, caring, and protecting. He loved her and her mother.

No, this was not the same man. This man… He was not her father.

Amy let a thought echo in her mind: Will killing him be the best for the kingdom?

He was completely mad at this point.

How many sleepless nights did he go through to find Sonic? How many people did he kill? On what scale of insanity was he on?

It broke Amy's heart to have the very idea to even kill her father… But it broke her heart more to see him like this.

"Fight, little princess!" Andriet saw an opening, seeing her distracted, and hit her stomach with the pommel of his sword.

Amy screamed in pain, falling back as her father sat his feet to her chest. He dug his shoe into her chest, holding her down.

"Suppose you'll go down like your mother…"

"Father, please!" Amy begged, not scared for her own life, but his. She wanted to save him from his own damnation. "I don't want you to die."

"I won't." He said bluntly, letting his eyes get dark.

At that moment, Amy could feel the room get dark and cold. Everything was silent and she immediately could see how dead her father truly was in his eyes. They were hard, but dull as they strike her jaded ones. Suddenly, Amy could see the reflection of a familiar face, shimmering in his grey eyes. An older pink hedgehog, who wore the crown of a queen. Her eyes were as heartbroken as Amy's, but she had tears flowing in her eyes.

Her father saw his wife, queen Athena, before him. Not his daughter, but Athena. It was as though it was the very night, he murdered her. He was visually living through it all over again.

"F-Father…"

"You will die, Athena." Andriet held his sword up, letting his actions take over.

A gust of wind suddenly knocked the king off his feet to the floor. Sonic went in head first, pushing the king to the floor as he tumbled with the impact of the force of Sonic's speed.

Sonic turned his attention to Amy, who looked shaken and had tears in her eyes. The blue hedgehog bent down to her, holding her head up.

"Amy? Amy?!"

"I-I…"

Andriet got back to his feet, letting his feet run toward the hooded hedgehog. Sonic shot back to his feet and charged at the king. Blades clashed and sparks gave birth as blade hit against blade.

The ground seemed to shake as the two battled and let their blades fight. While the King let his insanity fight his battle, Sonic did not let his emotions get the best of him.

"I waited a long time to kill you!" Andriet made another swing at Sonic, "Didn't you wait years to get this chance to kill me, young hedgehog?!"

Sonic had to shake his head constantly. He gritted his teeth in anger, not really sure how to express how he felt right now.

"Maybe this time I'll be able to kill off your entire legacy." Andriet taunted at the hedgehog, "I will make the mighty Winged Saber fall to his knees in defeat!"

Sonic could see how deranged the king's mind was becoming. His movement was almost as though he was being possessed. He jerked and made extremely creepy movements as he fought Sonic. Andreit grinned form ear to ear as he fought the blue hedgehog.

It was like something from a horror movie and it made Sonic feel uneasy. He felt something he'd never felt in his life with this man… Pity?

 _No, focus, Sonic._ He spoke to himself as he watched the King laugh hysterically.

God, this was getting pathetic.

"What's the matter, Winged Saber?" Andriet laughed between breaths, holding his free hand over his hand. "What, are you getting soft?"

"No, you're just pathetic to watch." Sonic spoke, not letting his guard down. Even with as crazy as the King was acting, he was still in an unpredictable state.

Sonic wasn't sure if it was best to put him out of his misery, or to let him live. It was kind of sad to see him in this state. He completely lost his mind. Sonic could only imagine what Amy was going through.

Sonic knew if this was his father, he'd want someone to help him. He wouldn't want him to die, but he wouldn't want him in the mercy of people either…

The blue hedgehog gripped harder onto his sword, remembering his father, mother, and countless events that compiled through King Andriet. Sonic had prepared himself for this very moment. To take the King down and kill him, but seeing him like this, made Sonic feel pity and he couldn't help it. As much as he hated Andreit, Sonic knew better than to just kill someone. It wasn't his character…

His father would be disappointed… Sonic had to do what he felt was truly right, but not from his own clouded mind, but his heart.

And that was that.

"Amy's lost enough as it is. I don't think she needs to lose anyone else, even if you're as evil as a snake." Sonic laid down his sword, letting the ground take hold of it for him.

Amy watched and felt her heart relieved. Hearing Sonic say those words, brought so much ease and joy to her.

"You coward!" The King spat out, putting more rage into his words. "Kill me and get it over with."

"I said my peace." Sonic simply said, holding his back to the King in any sort of effort for distance. "I made my choice."

"Coward!" Andriet barked out, "Fight me, you… you- '"

The King made a sudden lunge at Sonic, aiming and drawing his sword to the hedgehog's head. Sonic did not turn in time to see what was about to become of him, but the sound of swords clashing and a tip of the King's blade to his neck.

Amy gasped seeing the blade suddenly come to a halt. She looked up, seeing a dark shady figure come into view. Seeing him fully now, Amy could hardly believe she saw Shadow the Hedgehog halting Andriet's sword from slicing Sonic's head off.

Sonic smiled and expectably said, "Well, finally decided to show up, eh?"

It made Shadow growl, but he put his focus back on the King.

"You traitor…" Andriet gritted his teeth, letting his veins show his anger.

"Drop it." Shadow commanded. "Drop it, or I will kill you where you stand."

Andriet scuffed and mumbled under his breath, but he did as Shadow told him. He let the sword drop and bounce to the ground. The drop of the weapon was like a loud war drum, but instead of starting the beginning of a fight, it ended it.

* * *

 ***cough***

 **ANDDDD THERE'S CHAPTER 18!**

 **I'm back from the dead xD I think I haven't updated this since January and I do apologize for that. I got a lot of school work this semester, but I felt the urge to come back and write the next chapter.  
**

 **Anyway hope you all enjoyed this chapter! :0 I'll try to get out the next chapter as soon as I can. We're a chapter or two away from concluding this story.  
**


	19. A New Reign

**Chapter 19:A New Reign  
**

Days pass once King Andriet was finally taken down and thrown into his own prison cells. The king sat on the floor of his cell, listening to the creaking somber of the cage he was thrown in. The kisses of water dripping from the ceiling onto a puddle of water joined the creaking as well as the slight sound of metal chains moving about.

Andriet sat still, letting the anger be fueled in his eyes as he stared into the green orbs of the Winged Saber. Sonic stood on the opposite side of the cell door, letting the fire burn in his eyes with the King.

Sonic had spent all the passing days in the dungeons, basically posing as the prison guard of the castle. He, for the most part, wanted to be sure the King stayed where he was thrown into by Shadow. While Sonic knew the King would have no way of escaping, he couldn't help but be sure.

I mean, wouldn't you be cautious too?

While Sonic kept his eye on the criminal king, Shadow and the royal advisor, John, aided Amy in her preparations for her crowning as Queen of Octovia.

Sonic figured it would be wise to stay out of the way while the princess readied herself. He could imagine the stress she was in, but he guarantees it was less than with the King around.

"My daughter," Andriet spoke, voice being very raspy and low, "is unfit to rule, boy."

"That's not for you to decide." Sonic flatly said, not letting his eyes move from Andriet's. The tension being as high as ever.

"Oh, and it is for you?"

"No, that's for the people to decide." Sonic said. "And I think the people will see her as a worthy successor like her mother."

Andriet let a laugh escape his lips, seeming more amused at the blue one's statement.

"Besides," Sonic continued, "with the right person to lead by her side, she will be the best Queen this Kingdom has ever seen."

"Cute speech, boy." Andriet mockingly grumbled, but then let a crooked smile form. "I bet you think you're going to take my place?"

"I am not worthy to be a king."

"You're right," Andriet spat at Sonic's shoes, "you're not. You are a peasant rat. Royalty can't marry the poor. What could you even possibly offer to this kingdom that a prince or king could offer tenfold?"

Sonic said nothing but thought for a moment. While, he knew he was not worthy of a crown, he did, for the moment, fantasize being the king ruling by Amy's side.

What could he offer compared to other royals? Not money, Sonic was basically broke. Sonic did not own land or property really. Peasants can't own there is the thought of being an outlaw. There's no way an outlaw can rule as a king… However, Amy and Shadow knew of who killed Amy's mother.

So, was he really an outlaw anymore? No. His name is basically clear now. Now, he's just a normal peasant.

 _Like that's any better_ , Sonic thought to himself.

But, what could he offer as being king?

"What can I offer?" Sonic asked himself, smiling as he spoke. "Honestly, I have nothing to offer this kingdom. No land, money, or anything special to my name. But what I can offer, is peace and love. That's what this kingdom needs."

Andriet laughed, "What will those do compare to money and power?"

"Everything. Not everything is about money, and power is artificial. 'Strong kingdoms are built on a strong foundation', that's what my father told me. And with a strong foundation does not equal a fearsome rule. It just makes it barely sturdy."

"Think what you want, child, but I am not having an outlaw for an in-law. I rather die than to have a kingdom ruled by you."

"Well," Sonic chuckled, "it's a good thing it won't happen."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, I'm simply not fit to rule this kingdom. Not because of what you think, but because there are better people who can do the job better than I."

Sonic finally led himself out of the room, letting the last thing the king would hear in decades, being the sound of Sonic's shoes against the concrete floor and burning embers of a torch.

The hooded hedgehog opened the door and was greeted by the princesses', now reinstated, royal guard, Shadow. He had a face as blank as a block of wood, but his eyes held a sharp and stern look.

Sonic smiled and waved at the dark hedgehog, just to be answered with a simple: hmph.

Typical Shadow.

"Hey," Sonic started, "I want to thank you for coming and saving my tail back there. I didn't think you'd come back."

"I did not do it for you, I did it for my princess." Shadow spoke flatly, looking to the side as he spoke. "I could care less about you."

"Oh, you totally missed me, Shads." Sonic teased, letting his cheeky grin become apparent as he poked Shadow's arm relentlessly.

"Stop calling me that and I did not."

"Whatever you say, Shadow." Sonic chuckled and elbowed the dark knight. Shadow simply just shook his head at Sonic.

"There's going to be a lot of change soon, Sonic." Shadow commented, changing the topic. Sonic tilted his head, but Shadow continued. "Amy now has to rule this kingdom on her own. It's not easy shoes to fill."

"I think she can do it."

"I do too, but I think it'd be easier if she had someone, a friend, to help her."

"A king." Sonic added, in which Shadow shook his head in agreement.

"A king, right." Shadow sighed, rubbing his temple. "Though, she's a stubborn one. I don't think she will take any marriage from a random king."

"Hey, she's Queen now. She gets to decide and make any rules she pleases, right?"

"I suppose…"

Both hedgehogs' stood in silence for a moment. Shadow looked back at Sonic, seeming to have soften his eyes a bit. His frown on his face lost stiffness and his voice was softer than usual.

"She loves you."

Sonic said nothing, letting his eyes drift about. He let his foot tap a bit before letting a sigh escape his lips.

"Shadow, I am no king. Even you said I don't deserve to marry Amy. She's a Queen and I'm a peasant.

Well, Shadow more so threatened Sonic than just flat out told him not to get his heart stuck on the princess.

Even still, Sonic had feelings for the girl, even if he felt not led to lead the Kingdom into a prosperous one. He knew he had something for Amy, but he knew it was very frowned upon to think he could even marry a Queen.

"Heh," Sonic rubbed his back quills, a bit embarrassed thinking about Amy, "so, where is Amy?"

"She's in the thrown room." Shadow answered. "She called me to send you over her way."

"Oh? What's the occasion?" Sonic asked curiously.

"Possibly to thank you for your work here. She made it seem like that's what she needed you for."

"Oh, alright." Sonic patted Shadow's shoulder. "Then I suppose this is the last time I'll see you for a while. Take care, okay?"

Shadow nodded.

"Take care, hedgehog."

Sonic gave his signature grin and thumbs up before taking off into the halls. He let the speed and wind knock Shadow off his feet. The dark hedgehog did curse at his opposite self, but Sonic was already gone by the time Shadow uttered a word.

Sonic let himself in the thrown room, seeing Amy look out the stain glass window that hung-over the castle town and the lake that separated the two places. Sonic stood beside her, letting the view take over him for the moment before hearing Amy take a deep breath.

"Can you believe it?"

"What's that?" Sonic asked, not taking his eyes away from the window.

"That I'm Queen now. The rule of my father is finally over. A new era has begun, Sonic."

Sonic smiled, letting himself chuckle. "Yeah, it is something to get used to. I bet my life will be so much easier now not having someone hunt me down." He looked at her, smirking. "Unless you want to be the next to do so."

"Ah ha." Amy gave out a fake laugh, rolling her eyes playfully. "No, that's over."

"Good." Sonic commented. "So, you called me over to thank me for helping you out?"

"I do, but that's not why you're here."

Sonic tilted his head in confusion, but Amy continued.

"I just didn't want Shadow to hear me when I told you."

"Tell me what, Amy?"

"That I don't want to let you go." She admitted, fiddling with her hands slightly. Sonic was confused and asked,

"What are you talking about?"

"Sonic, I… I want you to rule by my side as King of Ocovia."

Sonic said nothing, but felt his eyes shrink. Amy continued.

"I believe you have the best heart to lead this land into greatness. You." Amy held his hand while she spoke, but felt Sonic's hand shake.

"I-I can't make this kingdom stronger. There's just no way- '" Sonic tried to pull away from her.

"Wait, don't go…"

Amy held onto his arms and planted a kiss on his lips. Sonic's eyes went wide but melted into her kiss like butter to toast. Her kiss was sweet and soft, and it made Sonic's face warm up as red as his echidna friend. But he kissed her back, letting the long-awaited kiss finally be fulfilled.

It only took 19 chapters to get that kiss, eh?

It didn't last long though, and Amy pulled back looking at Sonic. She smiled and spoke softly.

"Sonic, you are a king this kingdom needs. You understand these people better than anyone I know. They all love you."

"But I'm a- '"

"Who cares what you are. I love you and that's all that matters." Amy blushed, letting her hands play with her hair. "And I want you by my side as my husband and my king. Will you take my hand in marriage?"

Sonic felt his heart ache again, tugging at itself as it struggles to decide whether to choose her dignity or his love for her.

He can't rule with her… can he?

Sonic thought not, but apparently, she did. He had little to offer but his love and desire for her, but what could that do for this land? Nothing really. But Sonic's seen where love can take a couple through his parents. They had a strong bond that was hard to break. While both are dead, they were still with each other even now.

But the blue hedgehog has also seen what can happen if you don't be careful with who you marry. Amy's parents were a good example of it. Sonic knew he was thinking a bit too deep into it, but he can't deny that he did see his life being with her.

Maybe they could work.

"I…" Sonic felt his throat tighten, but his eyes were soft against hers. "I want to marry you, because I love you. I can't say I offer much, but I will dedicate my life and my heart to you first and the kingdom second."

Sonic pulled her back into a kiss, feeling her embrace as he did so. The two shared this moment for the beginning of their new lives as King and Queen of Octovia. Their future reign bringing hope, peace, and even a new generation of rulers.

Years pass by for the two rulers. The kingdom is as strong as ever and the people are as happy as can be. Sonic and Amy make the kingdom a shadow of its former self in many great ways.

Amy turned into a great war leader like her mother. Leading their armies into enemy territories along with Sonic by her side. She made peace with other kingdoms due to her father's reckless mistakes, merging the enemy kingdom with their own. The Kingdom of Octovia was bigger than ever.

Sonic became a strong king thanks to Amy. Bringing poor villages from the dirt and out of poverty. Food shortage was no longer issues. Sonic was able to make great deals with the joining of smaller kingdoms and trading goods with them. Sonic's easy-going nature made trading a lot easier than for most kings. The kingdom was living prosperous.

Nothing could make the two hedgehogs or kingdom stronger-

Except for one thing…

The sky was clear on this day in Octovia. Amy held a young hedgehog in her arms, rocking them slowly as she hummed a lullaby to calm the little blue hedgehog into a rest. Every now and then, she would look up to her loving king, Sonic. He raced the courtyard with their oldest toddler, Caspian, who would be the future king of this land.

Being gifted the speed of his father and strength of his mother, no doubt Caspian would become another good line of kings after Sonic.

Amy couldn't help but smile as she watched the boys play with one another. She looked back to her youngest baby boy, Ellis, seeing his eyes wonder into hers. Every few seconds he would smile at her. His smile was as soft as Sonic's.

"You and your brother will have the world in your hands." She spoke to him softly. "But, one day, when you're old enough, I will tell you the tale of a brave hedgehog who fought for this kingdom. So you never have to when your time as king may come, my son. You'll know the story of the Winged Saber..."

 **THE END.**

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 **AND THERE WE HAVE IT!**

 **I just want to say thank you to all the reviews and people who actually read this. It got over 7,500 views and I am surprised it even did. You guys are awesome.**

 **Honestly, you all kept me going and made me dedicated to finish this. I'm not much of a writer and more of an artist really, but I had so much fun doing this story. Probably was best to finish it before class gets too hectic again.**

 **ANYWAY, thank you all for your time and I hope you liked what you read.**


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